The Browns are Sabotaging Themselves at this Point

Myles Garrett has made his intentions to the Cleveland Browns very clear: trade me, or else. But the Browns don't seem to be taking his demands seriously.

Cleveland seems to be banking on the fact that Garrett is under contract through 2026 and that there isn't much the superstar defensive end can do if the Browns opt to hold on to him.

And in a sense, they're right. Garrett technically cannot force Cleveland to do anything. The Browns absolutely do not have to move him. But they darn well should.

Garrett can make Cleveland's life absolutely miserable. He can refuse to show up for camp. He can hold out right through the preseason. He can sit in Week 1 and beyond. No one can physically coerce him into getting onto the field.

Not only that, but Garrett can absolutely deter any free agent from wanting to join the Browns by badmouthing them through the press, which is kind of, sort of what he has been doing, but it could get far worse if Cleveland doesn't comply with his trade request.

Garrett has monstrous trade value. If the Browns played their cards right, they could net quite the haul for the six-time Pro Bowler, which would probably include a couple of first-round draft picks. After all, just about every contender in the NFL would be competing for Garrett's services.

Instead, Cleveland is apparently saying "no" to any team that calls and even allowed it to leak that the Browns were willing to offer Garrett an enormous contract extension to get him to stay. And what happened? Garrett shot it down very publicly, further destroying Cleveland's leverage.

The Browns are clearly not ready to contend for a Super Bowl. They just went 3-14, they have no quarterback, they need a Nick Chubb replacement, their offensive line is a complete mess and even their previously stingy defense has taken a massive step back.

By the time Cleveland is prepared to make a run in the AFC North, Garrett—who is 29 years old—will be well into his 30s and will almost surely be declining. So wouldn't it make more sense for the Browns to part ways with the former Defensive Player of the Year now while they could still recoup some genuinely elite value for him?

Heck, a legitimate argument can be made that Cleveland should have broached the subject of trading Garrett before he even demanded it.

But rather than accept reality for what it is, the Browns are clutching onto Garrett with the hope that he will change his mind, and based on what we are seeing, the chances of the foremer No. 1 overall pick reversing course are slim to none.

And let's be honest here: Garrett isn't a franchise quarterback. He isn't Patrick Mahomes. He isn't Lamar Jackson. Yes, he's a generational talent at his position, but it's not like Cleveland would set its franchise back five years if it trades him. He should not be untouchable.

The longer the Browns roll with this charade, the more leverage they are going to lose, and it's going to reach a point where they may not even be able to extract two first-round picks from another team.

Cleveland just needs to rip this bandage off and start rebuilding. Otherwise, not only are the Browns in denial, but they are just sabotaging themselves.

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