Browns Negotiating Lucrative Contract Extension With Myles Garrett
The Cleveland Browns are eager to get a lucrative extension done with Myles Garrett. The last thing they want to do is have this as something they need to lock up for 2021 when they plan on making a run for a championship. The two sides have been in talks for a little while but the fact it's being reported now might mean that they are finally getting ready to really hammer out a contract and put pen to paper.
None of this is remotely surprising. Myles Garrett is the best player on the team. He's only 24 years old and he's a superstar as arguably the most fearsome pass rusher in the NFL. Since being drafted as the top overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, he's said his intention is to spend his career in Cleveland and nothing has changed that equation.
The deal could easily eclipse an average of $25 million per season. Garrett had 10 sacks this past season, would've likely easily eclipsed the franchise mark of 14 by Reggie Camp in 1984 had he simply played all 16 games. Unfortunately, he missed the final six games due to a suspension as a result of the actions after the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cleveland.
If it weren't already obvious just how valuable Garrett was to the team, the defense fell off a cliff after he was suspended, pass rush rates and production dropped significantly and the defensive line was rendered almost helpless without him. When the Browns get a deal done with Garrett, they can focus on finding him a running mate at the opposite end spot for the foreseeable future.
The key with Garrett is that he's young enough and has the talent to easily warrant a second contract extension, so the length of the deal will be worth monitoring. Five years would take him to age 29 and leave him prime years to negotiate a second deal with the Browns to stay for his entire career.
