Insiders expand on if Browns should trade Myles Garrett before 2025 NFL Draft

Cleveland Browns beat writer Zac Jackson of The Athletic recently argued that general manager Andrew Berry should look to trade wantaway pass-rusher Myles Garrett “sometime in these next two weeks” and well before the 2025 NFL Draft gets underway on the night of April 24. 

On Sunday, Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand echoed that opinion. 

“Berry and the Browns should end the delusion that Garrett will change his mind and be a happy camper about it,” Grossi explained. “If that happens, he would come back simply for the money and not because he changed his outlook on the team’s chances to win. When your best player stays only for the money, your team culture worsens. The Browns should let it be known as soon as possible that they will comply with Garrett’s trade request – either privately or publicly. …The Browns should trade Garrett for the best deal they can get and not worry about satisfying Garrett’s wish to play for a Super Bowl contender.” 

Garrett’s camp reportedly has “slammed the door shut on negotiations” with the Browns for a potential extension that would make him the league’s highest-paid defensive player. While the All-Pro who wants to join a contender was recently linked with the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, he is signed through the 2026 season via a contract that doesn’t have a no-trade clause. 

With that said, the Browns seem willing to hold onto Garrett through the start of summer as they assemble a roster they hope will be capable of taking the team to its second playoff trip in three years. Meanwhile, Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer left the NFL Scouting Combine convinced the Browns and Garrett will eventually “find a resolution” that will result in 29-year-old staying with the club. 

“With Garrett being under contract for the next two years,” Cabot wrote, “the Browns have all the leverage right now and have no plans to trade him. I believe they’ll ultimately make him an offer to become one of the highest paid defensive players in the NFL, and it will be up to him to negotiate or sit out some or all of the season. Typically, players in this situation agree to an extension with their clubs, and all is forgiven. …It might get ugly, but it can still end well.”

One example involves Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who requested a trade on March 2, 2023. Less than two months later, he put pen to paper on a big-money deal to remain Baltimore’s QB1. 

Reports have indicated Berry and Co. truly believe the Browns are a quarterback away from competing for a playoff spot next season. If they are convinced on May 1 that they have a winning signal-caller on the roster, they may feel no pressure to trade Garrett up through the start of training camp and the preseason.