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Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
The Cleveland Browns won’t back down.
Superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett issued a formal demand for a trade on Monday, February 3, citing a desire to move on after eight years in Cleveland and essentially no winning of note. The franchise responded in kind and with relative haste, indicating clearly that it has no plans to honor its best player’s request.
“Myles Garrett made his trade request public today, but the [Browns’] position on Garrett has not changed. The team has no plans to deal him, per source,” NFL insider Albert Breer reported via an X post. “But that certainly won’t stop teams from calling.”
Browns GM Andrew Berry Has Dug in on Myles Garrett’s Future
GettyCleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry.
Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry made the team’s initial stance clear last week, saying that the Browns won’t even entertain an offer of two first-round picks in return for Garrett.
On January 6, during his end-of-season press conference, Berry also addressed Garrett’s public unhappiness with the direction of the franchise. Cleveland won 11 games the year prior and earned a playoff berth, but followed up that effort with a three-win campaign in 2024 and ended up with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
“In terms of Myles, my anticipation, [the] expectation is that he’ll have a direct ticket from Cleveland to Canton at the end of his years, and [we] expect him to be here and retire at Brown quite frankly,” Berry said.
Myles Garrett Appeared to Call Out Andrew Berry, Browns in Formal Trade Request
GettyCleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett is ready to move on to a new NFL team.
Garrett’s formal statement to the public, which served as his official front-facing trade request, was full of respect and gratitude. However, it also had an edge to it considering the use of the phrase “Cleveland to Canton,” in what was a clear call back to Berry’s comments.
As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl — and that goal fuels me today more than ever. My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today.
While I’ve loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won’t allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl. With that in mind, I have requested to be traded from the Cleveland Browns.
Garrett has amassed 102.5 sacks over his eight years in Cleveland, earning Pro Bowl honors and All-Pro honors six times each. He also won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award for the 2023 campaign.
Garrett will play next season at 30 years old and has two years remaining on his $125 million contract.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group's family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
