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Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is headed to Canton someday as a Pro Football Hall of Famer. And, he’s still in his prime at 29 years old, as he’s showing zero signs of slowing down.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry made it clear that he’s committed to keeping Myles Garrett for the long haul, hopefully for the rest of his career. But, that may not be what’s actually in the best interest in the Cleveland Browns, and loyalty could be getting in the way of building a better team.
Here’s Pro Football Talk with more.
Browns General Manager Andre Berry said earlier this month that he’s expecting star defensive end Myles Garrett to retire with the franchise.
On Tuesday, Berry was even more unequivocal about the future of the 2023 AP defensive player of the year.
Speaking with a small group of Browns beat writers, Berry reiterated the franchise has no interest in trading Garrett. He was asked directly if a team were to offer two first-round picks for Garrett, “Do you say, ‘I’m not interested’?”
“Correct,” Berry said, via Kelsey Russo of the team’s website. “You can put that on the record.”
Garrett’s contract expires after the 2026 season, when he will be 31. The Browns seem intent on signing him.
Obviously, Myles Garrett is still an excellent player. You could argue that he’s the best defensive player in the league and no one would bat an eye at it. He makes the Browns a better team, as he would any team.
But, even with Garrett, they’ve made the playoffs just twice with him and won one playoff game. They’re likely drawing dead in the near future as some of the core has aged, the quarterback situation is terrible, and the AFC is loaded with top-tier quarterbacks that you have to beat in the playoffs.
So, based on that, if the only thing that matters is winning a Super Bowl, would a huge haul of picks help the Browns win a Super Bowl moving forward? If they could get three first-rounders for Garrett or the equivalent draft capital, that’s a deal they should probably do. It would be really tough to lose a player of his caliber. But, the top priority should be bringing a Super Bowl to Cleveland. Keeping Myles Garret might not be the best way to do that.