As June kicks off, the Cleveland Browns will start mandatory minicamp before going on summer break. Mandatory minicamp is different; players are required to be there unless they have an excused absence. In the Browns case, every player is likely to be there, but all eyes remain on a certain player.
Star defensive end and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett has yet to appear at the facility, whether it’s for voluntary workouts or OTAs. Garrett has also yet to meet new head coach Todd
Monken in person or defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, for that matter. It’s a topic of discussion whether the team will have Garrett arrive when their mandatory minicamp session begins on June 9th.
A few months ago, the Browns made adjustments to Garrett’s contract that would make it more feasible for the team to trade him. Many believed that the Browns would’ve traded Garrett before the NFL Draft, as that would’ve been the opportunity to grab potential picks for this year and next year. Yet, his contract would have made that much more difficult.
As noted Monday morning by Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Cleveland can split up Garrett’s cap hit June 2nd and beyond:
After June 1, the Browns could split the approximately $41 million in dead money they’d incur from a Garrett trade over two seasons on their salary cap. If a trade occurred at any point after Monday, the Browns would carry $15.53 million of dead money on their 2026 salary cap and take on the remaining $25.56 million of dead money in 2027.
Which is why the NFL Draft went by, and Garrett is still on the Browns roster.
The trade rumors regarding Garrett vary from month to month. The rumors die down, then they get brought back up, only to die down again. General manager Andrew Berry has stated that the team is adamant in keeping Garrett, but the NFL or any sports league has taught us that situations like these are fluid. One team that seemingly has an interest in Garrett’s services is the Philadelphia Eagles. However, after the Eagles made a trade to acquire Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jonathan Greenard, they may have potentially taken themselves out of the running. However, the Philadelphia could try to get themselves back in the conversation (if they choose) if they move off star wide receiver AJ Brown. Philadelphia has its own 1st round pick for 2027, but it might get another 1st if they trade Brown.
Sunday night, social media was abuzz again about a potential Garrett trade with the Los Angeles Rams noted as a potential destination.
With how the Browns handled their offseason, the team is moving like a team trying to compete this season. Winning eight games in the last two seasons can make anyone frustrated, as Garrett has been. The speculation will continue as long as Garrett isn’t in Berea (ala Joe Thomas’ final few seasons). It’s the reality of the situation.
It is interesting that Jackson published a long ‘could Garrett get traded’ story very early Monday morning. After Sunday’s rumors started swirling, could things pick up on the rumor mill on Monday?
Trading Garrett would be beneficial for a team that’s not a serious contender right now, but that would also cause a ripple effect. Trading your best player before the season starts would be “waiving the white flag” to some degree, and it would make a first-year head coach in Todd Monken’s job much harder than it has to be. Time will tell if Garrett will be in Cleveland by the time the season starts, as for now, we wait… maybe for just another day.
