Myles Garrett’s Absence Is Becoming Harder for Browns To Ignore

There’s nothing normal about the current situation between Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns.

As last season’s five-win debacle sputtered towards the close, Garrett reminded reporters in Berea that he was dedicated to the Browns as long as they were dedicated to winning a championship. He publicly endorsed former Browns defensive Jim Schwartz to be hired as the organization’s next head coach.

After the Browns hired longtime offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Garrett posted a popular meme depicting an exhausted fast food worker to his Instagram story, insinuating that he might not have been the biggest fan of the decision.

And that’s the last that we’ve heard from Garrett.

He’s traveled the world, supporting his girlfriend Chloe Kim at the Olympics in Milan, Italy. He photographed the Miami RedHawks en route to their NCAA Tournament run. Garrett twirled a towel courtside of Game 1 at Rocket Arena to get the Cavaliers’ postseason started.

But he hasn’t had any face-to-face contact with Monken or new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg.

At best, that’s fishy.

Garrett’s absence from voluntary OTAs isn't abnormal for the superstar pass rusher. Although he attended former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski’s first voluntary OTA session, Garrett’s absence in recent years hasn’t impacted his dominance on the field. But the calendar is about to flip to June, and Monken and Rutenberg are still answering uncomfortable questions about the team’s best player.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry has insisted that Garrett will retire in Cleveland.

But nobody has ever given an honest answer as to why the organization reworked Garrett’s contract at the end of March. The Browns didn’t receive any immediate cap relief from the reworking, but it gave them a new ability to trade Garrett’s contract after June 1.

"If we wanted to trade Myles, we wouldn't have needed to make a contract adjustment," Berry said, via ESPN. "So it doesn't have anything to do with that."

But the Browns would’ve had no other reason to move back Garrett’s option bonus other than to open the door for a trade.

The Browns are entering an interesting window during the next few days. Even though Garrett passed up on a $1 million workout bonus this offseason, he’d incur actual fines for skipping mandatory veteran minicamp June 9-11. If the Browns opt to trade Garrett, they’d be able to execute a trade as early as Monday.

This offseason, the team didn't address Garrett's big concern from his trade request last season—finding a franchise quarterback. Before the team is forced to report for the final time before training camp, both sides might decide it's time for a fresh start.

What would compensation look like?

When Micah Parsons was traded last August, the Green Bay Packers gave up a quality starter in Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks. That’s a realistic return for the Browns, who would take a step backwards defensively.

The Browns could’ve decided to wait before entertaining a Garrett trade until after June 1 so they could try to land picks in the 2027 and 2028 NFL Draft, which are supposed to be better than the 2026 class was.

It’s unlikely that Berry, or any decision maker, would entertain trading Garrett within the AFC, especially since Cleveland has a young roster on the rise.

A team like the Los Angeles Rams could make sense, as they’re always aggressive when it comes to trading draft picks and could prove to Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford that they’re committed to winning Super Bowls.

Until Garrett puts the speculation to rest by showing up and meeting his new coaching staff, this speculation isn’t going anywhere. Of course, that’s unless he’s moved prior to the mandatory report date for veterans on June 9.

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