Ever since March 25, when Field Yates of ESPN reported news of adjusted language in Myles Garrett’s contract, the commentary around the Cleveland Browns and the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year has grown more frustrating by the day.
Yates never wrote the word “trade” in his report about Garrett’s revised deal, but that obviously didn’t stop the masses from speculating on something big coming. Why else would Garrett and the Browns agree to defer a sizable 2026 option bonus from March until early September?
There was no stopping the hypothetical trade ideas from flowing, as the tweak to Garrett’s contract created no salary cap relief this year. What it did was turn an extremely player-friendly deal into something more aligned with typical Browns contracts under GM Andrew Berry's regime, while creating future avenues for an exit plan via trade. Garrett is now entering his age-31 season and holds a no-trade clause, so any move would have to be a mutual agreement between Garrett and the team.
Even in a fantasy world where Garrett OKs a trade in 2026, ideas of a blockbuster deal before or during this month’s draft are not grounded in reality. The Browns currently have about $21 million in available cap space, per Over the Cap, to sign their draft picks and any additional free agents. Trading Garrett before June 1 would zap $17.4 million of that space thanks to an accelerated dead-cap hit. Cleveland would have to resort to contract restructures and other roster moves just to sign this year's rookie class in that scenario — after trading the face of the franchise months before the start of head coach Todd Monken’s first training camp.
None of those facts have stopped bloggers and national writers alike from posting “trade ideas” involving Garrett and 2026 draft capital, and a lot of people could soon have egg on their face after ESPN insider Dan Graziano’s latest report on Garrett’s next move.
On Tuesday morning's episode of Get Up, Graziano said Garrett is more likely to get a pay raise from the Browns than he is to get traded at any point this season.
“There is not,” Graziano said when asked by host Mike Greenberg if there was impetus for a trade. “I think there’s a lot of people out there who wonder ‘why not,’ considering what they could probably get for him. But the Browns have been steadfast and adamant that they have no interest in trading Myles Garrett. Even last year, when he was publicly asking for a trade, they said that, gave him a new contract. I think it’s more likely that Myles Garrett gets another contract bump from the Browns this offseason than gets traded.”
.@DanGrazianoESPN on Get Up this morning: "I think it's more likely that Myles Garrett gets another contract bump from the Browns this offseason than gets traded." pic.twitter.com/x0kwszE9mU
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) April 13, 2026
The Browns were never seriously considering a Myles Garrett trade this year
Browns fans should be thankful for Graziano, because he just gave us the first realistic idea on Garrett in two-plus weeks.
The brutal truth is this: Cleveland missed its window to trade Garrett. The time was last offseason, when Garrett was clamoring for a trade and the Browns were already in no-man’s land following news of quarterback Deshaun Watson’s re-ruptured Achilles tendon.
It would make absolutely no sense for the Browns to hand Garrett a contract that, at the time, made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, only to trade him one year later with significant salary cap ramifications.
What does make sense is creating the next window, which from a numbers standpoint appears to be the 2028 offseason. Garrett will be 33 years old, Monken will be entering Year 3 of his program, and the Browns would save $16.4 million in cap space that year with a pre-June 1 trade, per OTC.
The key to that next trade window is the timing, as the deal could take place in March or April and be centered upon capital in that year’s draft. That wouldn’t be the case with a Garrett trade in 2026, as the money wouldn't work until after June 1, meaning the draft capital coming back would theoretically be centered upon picks two years down the line. The Browns have made some head-scratching moves in the past, but actively shipping out Garrett and tanking on the 2026 season for future draft capital would be a new low.
Dan Graziano’s theory on a Myles Garrett pay raise seems spot-on
Garrett is coming off one of the best statistical seasons in NFL history, and he’s already barely cracking the top-five at his position in terms of average salary.
Micah Parsons, Aidan Hutchinson, T.J. Watt, and Danielle Hunter have all surpassed Garrett in terms of average cash per year. Garrett is set to earn $31.5 million in 2026, according to Spotrac. The Browns should definitely be looking to reward him for breaking the NFL’s single-season sack record last season, while in turn keeping him fully bought in on this year’s new chapter.
Unless the Browns start winning AFC North titles and competing for Super Bowls in short order, yes, Garrett will likely submit another trade request somewhere down the line. Based on how the two sides are positioned with his contract, the team will most likely play ball on that request if and when that time comes.
It was never supposed to happen in 2026, though, and Graziano’s report just proved it (to the chagrin of many overzealous writers).
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