As soon as most have closed the door on the quick rumors that the Cleveland Browns could trade DE Myles Garrett, after a new contract was signed, GM Andrew Berry spoke to the local media at the owners’ meetings in Phoenix, Arizona. Some fans are in favor of trading Garrett, given the uncertainty of when the team could be competitive in the next few years.
A Garrett trade could have some benefits for the Browns long-term, but the upside is based on hope more than anything else. Trading Garrett this
offseason could have a huge impact on the NFL draft, including a bigger focus on edge defenders like Missouri’s Zion Young.
Last year at the NFL combine, when Garrett had demanded a trade, Berry made it clear that Cleveland was not trading their star defender:
Understand the trade request and everything, but our stance really has not changed. We can’t imagine a situation where not having Myles as a part of the organization is best for the Browns. […] We’re not interested in moving him.
At the owners’ meeting in Phoenix, Berry’s comments were similar, but were they as strong? Watch and hear them here and see what you think:
Zac Jackson of The Athletic believes that Berry’s stance was less definitive than last year:
Part of that could be that Mary Kay Cabot’s question sought an “unequivocally not trading Myles Garrett” answer, and Berry did not give the sort of answer that the question sought. Berry did note that the Browns did not need to make the contract adjustment if they wanted to trade Garrett and that “it doesn’t have anything to do with that.”
Many are reading into his comments and lack of explanation for the new contract details:
While Berry’s statement included “career Brown” in describing Garrett, others have brought up the GM’s past statements, including regarding QB Baker Mayfield:
In the end, it seems like the franchise has no plans or desires to trade Garrett. The financial reality is that the Browns would cost themselves over $25 million in salary cap space if they trade Garrett now, versus waiting until June 1st:
Is Garrett going to be a career Brown, going from Cleveland to Canton? Berry tried to make his stance clear without painting himself into a corner. Anything else will be attempting to read Cleveland’s general manager’s mind.
Was Berry as clear as he could be and finally squashed Garrett rumors or do you read into his statements as different than last year?
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