Cleveland Browns Reportedly Preparing For Myles Garrett Blockbuster Trade With Latest Move

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Myles Garrett’s decision to restructure his contract with the Cleveland Browns may carry more than meets the eye.

On Wednesday, news broke that Myles Garrett and the Browns had agreed to a contract restructuring. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year signed a four-year, $160 million extension last year, weeks after initially requesting a trade.

Now, it’s very common for NFL stars to restructure their deals to help open up more cap space for their teams. But as Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com points out, the only purpose the two sides had in adjusting his deal would be to facilitate a trade:

“The Browns don’t gain any cap room by making this move unless they actually changed the option amounts this year. They already had the lowest cap charge possible for Garrett, outside of converting some per game bonuses to a signing bonus. All this does is give the team the maximum flexibility to trade Garrett assuming they were to get him to waive a his no trade clause. I guess there is also the soft factor of having everyone on the team have a similar exercise date.”

Fitzgerald noted that if Myles Garrett were traded at the NFL draft, it would carry a ridiculous $70.3 million cap hit for 2026 alone. The restructuring of his deal, however, makes a trade a lot more financially manageable for interested teams:

“Under the prior terms he would be paid $10 million in 2026, $13 million in 2027, and $7 million in 2028 within a month of the option being exercised by the Browns. The balance would then be paid concurrent with his salary and as lump sum on March 31 of the following year. Now those initial payments are deferred until the fall when the new option date occurs…

The acquiring team would be on the hook for $31.5 to $32.5M in salary and the Browns owe nothing. A similar situation exists next year where with the delay the trade cost is $48.9M during the draft and a $17.8/$31.1M split between 2027 and 2028 if traded in the summer.”

So, make of that as you will.

this makes Myles Garrett’s contract actually tradeable

and the Browns proposed a rule change that would allow draft picks to be exchanged up to five years into the future

coincidence? https://t.co/vs1KgnvXPH

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) March 26, 2026

Garrett won his second Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2025. He set the single-season record for sacks (23) and led the NFL with 33 tackles for a loss.

Browns Are Better Off Trading Myles Garrett

The Browns are in rebuilding mode and nowhere close to championship contention. Garrett isn’t getting any younger as he prepares for his age-30 season. Add it all up, and it’s clear the best path forward is for the two sides to move on.

Before the Baltimore Ravens backed out of the blockbuster Maxx Crosby trade, the Las Vegas Raiders were about to acquire to first-round picks for their star pass rusher. And Crosby isn’t on Garrett’s level.

Cleveland would certainly get multiple first-round picks for Garrett, and likely more. At this phase of his career, the future Hall of Famer should prioritize chasing Super Bowl rings with a contender.