Why NFL insider isn't buying what Browns are selling about not trading Myles Garrett

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken recently insisted that he isn't "worried" about the fact that star pass-rusher Myles Garrett is skipping at least some of the team’s offseason program after Garrett and the club agreed to change when option bonuses attached to his contract will be paid out. 

However, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio later revealed that the four-year, $160M extension that Garrett signed last offseason includes a $1M workout bonus for 2026 that can only be earned if the 30-year-old participates "in 84.375 percent of the offseason workout sessions," in all minicamps, all OTA days and also "timely" reports on time to training camp.

On Friday, Florio suggested that Garrett may be planning to join an advertised championship contender sooner rather than later. 

Is Myles Garrett unofficially announcing that a trade is coming?

"The Browns had another non-playoff season in 2025," Florio wrote. "They fired coach Kevin Stefanski. They didn’t promote defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who’s now long gone. What does Garrett think about all of that? Maybe the answer resides in his willingness to give up $1M. And if the Browns really are thinking about getting the most value possible for Garrett while he has time left in his prime, the best way to maximize the return is to insist he’s not available."

Florio seemed to be referencing how Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said during the NFL's annual meetings that Garrett "is an integral part of what we do at the Cleveland Browns." However, those comments didn't stop a Browns reporter from sharing that "teams that believe they have the right quarterback and the right window to go for it may be prepared to make Godfather-like offers for Garrett" after June 1 of this year.

Why Myles Garrett trade rumors still hover over the Browns

"There’s the recent contract modification, which delays the deadline for Garrett’s offseason option bonuses from the 15th day of the league year in March until seven days before the start of the regular season," Florio added. "Obviously, that allows the Browns to trade Garrett without paying the option bonus. ...Has anyone reported that the Browns have flatly refused to take any and all calls about Garrett? Even if they don’t trade him, the analytics-obsessed Browns view every player as an asset that, in theory, could be converted into other assets. Why would they view Garrett any differently?"

For his latest mailbag posted early Friday morning, Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand wrote that any trade involving Garrett "after June 1 would involve multiple (first-round draft picks) in 2027 and 2028." 

It sounds like some in-the-know individuals think the Browns haven't completely slammed the door shut on possibly trading Garrett before training camp practices get underway in July.