Myles Garrett seems to make feelings on Browns future clear

While Cleveland Browns pass-rusher Myles Garrett repeatedly made it known during Super Bowl week that he wants to be traded so he can join a contender, Dianna Russini of The Athletic is among the NFL insiders who have reported that the Browns are "playing hardball" and "are not moving" the 29-year-old anytime soon. 

During a Sunday appearance on ESPN, Garrett seemed to pour cold water over any idea that he could stay with Cleveland through at least the 2025 season. 

"I’m willing to do whatever it takes," Garrett said about receiving his requested trade, as shared by Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand. "[I] want to have a chance to win those big games, to go out there and compete, to elevate a team, as a player, as a teammate, as a leader. And just come in and have an immediate effect."

Grossi previously noted that Browns general manager Andrew Berry always planned on lowering Garrett’s salary-cap number via a new contract so the club could comply with cap rules by the start of the new league year on March 12. As Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer pointed out, Garrett could make life difficult for Berry either by refusing to accept a reworked deal or by embracing a holdout that runs from the start of springtime workouts through the preseason portion of the calendar. Garrett is under contract through the 2026 campaign. 

Tight end David Njoku revealed this past Thursday he planned to speak with Garrett about possibly running it back with a Browns team that finished the 2024 season at 3-14 and that doesn't have a legitimate Week 1 starting quarterback healthy and on its roster. It sounds like such discussions will do Njoku and the Browns little good. 

"Speaking with management with the Browns, I just felt like at this current time I don’t feel like our future is aligned with winning right now. That’s what I’m looking forward to doing at this state of my career," Garrett added during Sunday's segment. "I have a lot of love for Northeast Ohio, you know, a community that brought me into the league, but [I] want to get to contending and winning playoff games and having a chance to be in games like [the Super Bowl]."

In short, it appears the Garrett-Browns situation could get messier before it is settled either by Cleveland giving in or by the one-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year staying with his current employer via a new deal that includes a significant pay raise.