What Myles Garrett's salary and contract means for trade rumors around Cleveland Browns star
The Cleveland Browns were hit with a heavy bit of news on Monday morning when star pass-rusher Myles Garrett publicly requested a trade from the franchise. It's the worst-case scenario for a team hoping to fast-track a rebuild this offseason around Garrett. As soon as news broke, social media speculation ran rampant around Garrett's future. […]
The Cleveland Browns were hit with a heavy bit of news on Monday morning when star pass-rusher Myles Garrett publicly requested a trade from the franchise. It's the worst-case scenario for a team hoping to fast-track a rebuild this offseason around Garrett.
As soon as news broke, social media speculation ran rampant around Garrett's future. However, Garrett's salary and contract will prove to be a real factor as to which teams can even make a competitive offer and if a deal can be made.
Myles Garrett Contract and Salary
Garrett, turning 30 at the end of the 2025 NFL season, has two years left on his contract with the Browns. The Browns have talked publicly about extending Garrett this offseason and having no interest in trading him.
Following the money makes it easy to see why the franchise has said this beyond public grandstanding.
Garrett has a $19.7 million cap hit in 2025 and a $20.3 million hit in 2026 before his restructured years create a $40.9 million void year in 2027. If he were to be extended, the Browns would smooth out those hits into Garrett's mid-30s and likely into the 2030s.
However, because of those restructures over the last few years, trading Garrett now is almost impossible without a historic trade return. They Browns would eat over $36 million in dead cap this year and then $21.45 million in 2026. If they trade him after March 5, 2025, they'll have paid him another $5 million bonus.
Just for the Browns to afford a Garrett trade would be significant lifting. They'd have to again restructure the deals of Deshaun Watson and Denzel Ward and cut Jack Conklin. They'd be left with less than $8 million in cap space just to lose a future Hall of Famer.
The most likely scenario for Garrett to leave is to wait until next offseason and be traded on a restructured deal. In return, the Browns can mitigate how much of a cap hit will be accelerated, and Garrett will have more options who can trade and extend him.
Considering the leverage Cleveland has, which includes being able to use the franchise tag in 2027, it's hard to imagine a deal being possible for Garrett. The historical precedent is he'll be extended and become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history instead of being traded.
It's possible Garrett pushes the envelope and the Browns acquiesce, but teams would have to pay a heavy price. It's not only about losing Garrett, torching any remaining bridges in place with the fan base, or getting enough value. The cumulative price would catapult the asking price far beyond what the normal cost would be, which is extraordinarily high.
