Why Myles Garrett, Browns could agree to a trade during the upcoming offseason

Cleveland Browns star pass-rusher Myles Garrett will enter this weekend with 19 sacks on the campaign and, thus, is on pace to break both the official (22.5) and unofficial (23) single-season sack records. 

Garrett seemingly committed his future to the Browns when he agreed to a four-year, $160M contract extension that included $123.5M guaranteed this past offseason. However, ESPN's Dan Graziano noted on Friday that Garrett could once again make things uncomfortable for Browns ownership this fall. 

The Browns can afford to trade Myles Garrett in 2026

"I think it's important to point out that his latest contract extension does not make it difficult to trade him," Graziano wrote about Garrett. "He is guaranteed about $62M over the next two years, so an acquiring team would be getting a deal if he continued to play anywhere near his current level. The Browns would incur around $41M in dead cap charges if they were to trade him, which is about half of what the Broncos took in dead money when they cut Russell Wilson (and they're 20-10 since they did that)."

Garrett went public with a trade request last February when he wanted to play for an advertised Super Bowl contender. Since that time, the Browns have lost nine of 12 games. Neither Shedeur Sanders nor Dillon Gabriel has yet played like a future franchise quarterback as a rookie, but Sanders has made just two starts. 

Even if Sanders plays well through Week 18, Cleveland probably isn't one solid offseason away from pursuing more than a playoff berth in 2026. Meanwhile, Garrett turns 30 years old on Dec. 29. He has been part of only one playoff win as a pro, and that game took place in January 2021. 

Additionally, recent whispers have suggested the Browns could soon embrace a franchise reset that would involve parting ways with head coach Kevin Stefanski and/or general manager Andrew Berry. History shows that new regimes are often keen on acquiring future draft assets for an ongoing rebuild. 

How will Myles Garrett feel about the Browns in February 2026? 

Garrett made it known multiple times during the season that he was frustrated with the state of the Browns. If the campaign ended on Dec. 5, Cleveland would finish in the basement of the AFC North standings. 

"He might be the greatest player in the NFL right now," Graziano said about Garrett. "But in his nine seasons, his teams have a combined record of 56-87-1, and he has played in a total of two playoff games. ...I'm not saying [a trade is] going to happen. What I am saying is that, if circumstances changed and either through Garrett's doing or for other reasons the Browns changed their stance, the contract is tradable."

In short, it sounds like Garrett could be preparing to go on another news-making Super Bowl media tour this coming winter.