As the Cleveland Browns evaluate what they can do to salvage the good from the bad leftover from their 3-14 season, they also need to consider making moves this offseason that threaten to break up some pieces from the team.
They're severely over the cap to the tune of $30 million dollars, so they'll need to make some serious changes to the roster in the form of converting salaries into signing bonuses, trading players with higher value to get them off the books, and make cuts to players who underperformed for Cleveland in 2024.
However, general manager Andrew Berry has made it clear to Browns media that there's one player that's untouchable in any trade talks this offseason and beyond.
Myles Garrett untouchable in eyes of Browns GM Andrew Berry
Berry told reporters on Tuesday that the Browns star defender Myles Garrett is not going anywhere anytime soon. Regardless of what other teams may offer during this offseason, Garrett is a player he says he wants to see retire as a Brown - even if it means the team is offered two first round picks for the All-Pro's services.
"We feel really good about Myles obviously as a big piece of our future," Berry said. "We're looking forward to him being on the field. Like I said in my (early January) press conference, we envision him going from Cleveland to Canton when his career is over," said Berry in his presser during the Senior Bowl.
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Garrett is probably the team's greatest "asset" if you want to look at the team from a front office perspective. He's still relatively young and still in the peak of his career, having just recorded his fourth season in a row of 14 or more sacks. There are many contending teams that are likely desperate for his kind of production defensively.
But, Garrett is a cornerstone player for Cleveland. Keeping him on the team signals stability to the outside world and to the rest of the league, and if they're able to land an extension with him on his current deal, that shows even more confidence between the two parties in the Browns' ability to bounce back from their 2024 season.
Despite Garrett's previously expressed discontent about the direction of the team, it's clear that Cleveland holds his opinion pretty dearly. He'll likely continue to have some sort of say in how the team is constructed this offseason, especially as it pertains to any additions on defense. As for their offense, new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and head coach Kevin Stefanski are likely to take the reigns.