Insider updates if Browns could trade Myles Garrett as part of rebuild

Whispers continue to hover over the Cleveland Browns suggesting that the club coming off a 3-14 campaign could make reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett available to other teams this offseason as part of a rebuild that includes starting from scratch at the quarterback position. 

For a piece published on Thursday, Zac Jackson of The Athletic revealed that he doesn't "think there’s much chance the Browns actually trade Garrett" before the 2025 season gets underway. 

"Teams will call," Jackson wrote, "and Cleveland might listen, but the four-time first-team All-Pro taking his frustrations public in December was probably part human reaction to the Browns' crash and part negotiating tactic. If Garrett, 29, tells the Browns he’ll be happier in Cleveland if he’s the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, then they might have to oblige. He’s currently signed through 2026." 

Jackson was referencing how Garrett hinted on multiple occasions late in what became a disappointing season for the Browns that he could ask for a trade because he doesn't want to be part of a rebuild. However, Garrett most recently indicated he's committed to helping the Browns get "back to winning games" as soon as possible. 

Jackson said in Thursday's article that Browns general manager Andrew Berry probably "won’t be taking on a major rebuild," as doing so could result in team owner Jimmy Haslam parting ways with both Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski next January. 

History shows executives often avoid stockpiling draft picks they may never be able to spend, so it makes sense that Berry would give Garrett a pay raise rather than acquire assets for the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year finalist who, per ESPN stats, finished the regular season second in the league with 14 sacks.

As for Cleveland's quarterback situation, stories routinely link the Browns with veteran Kirk Cousins even though it's not yet guaranteed the Atlanta Falcons will release Cousins in March. Russell Wilson of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets could also be inexpensive options for a Browns team that is stuck with what's left of the massive fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract that Deshaun Watson signed in March 2022. 

Watson may not be medically cleared until next year after he tore his Achilles again following an initial injury he first suffered in October. 

Much will be made between now and the opening night of the upcoming draft about the Browns possibly grabbing either Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders depending on which quarterback falls to Cleveland at overall pick No. 2. Ideally, the Browns will have figured out Garrett's short-term future long before the player-selection process gets underway.