Myles Garrett finally opened up to media and fans for the first time since signing his historic extension with the Cleveland Browns shortly before the start of the new league year. He'll be with the team through 2030 now, and that means he's going to be around for a possible rebuild - or two - by the time he's out of his prime.
It's a bit of a gamble for the player who was so clear about his intention to get traded to a team that was a contender, but money talks. But, Garrett emphasized in his press conference that staying with the team he was just publicly announcing as not a winning one was not about the money.
That said, there were a few key takeaways from the press conference.
Takeaways from Myles Garrett's press conference
Garrett said trade request bolstered dialogue with Andrew Berry
Garrett told reporters that his trade request wasn't originally intended to open up more discourse between himself and general manager Andrew Berry about his role with the team moving forward, but it did. The team, according to Garrett, was also a lot more communicative with him about their plans for turning the ship around this season and beyond.
Additionally, he explained that being denied a meeting with owner Jimmy Haslam just forced even more discussion between himself and Berry, and that led to a deal getting done. Garrett's radio row comments as well as his literal written trade request seem to clash with this logic. He clearly was just as dug in about getting traded as the team was about not trading him. So, what communication was going on?
Quarterback plans seem murky to Garrett, as well
Two parts of Garrett's press conference stood out in relation to the Browns' quarterback search. One was that he commented on the teams' recruitment efforts with Russell Wilson this week when he came to meet with the teams' front office and Garrett. He said he happened to be around working out, and wanted to help pitch him on the team. His pitch?
"I won't put you in the ground 3-4 times a year."
Read more: Latest report shows Browns are going all out to land Russell Wilson
Valid. Wilson, who is 36 years old, probably could stand to not have a threat in Garrett breathing down his neck once again in the pocket.
Another part to the quarterback conversation that really stood out was Garrett's refusal to answer questions about the upcoming NFL draft. A reporter directly asked Garrett about the teams' plans at No. 2 overall, to which Garrett responded "next question."
Of course, Cleveland doesn't want to telegraph their plans, but it was this non-comment coupled with Garrett's seeming lack of enthusiasm about the Browns' plans and chances of winning that made it stand out more.
Garrett never directly answered questions about team's chances of winning
Garrett told reporters that him staying in Cleveland was all about winning. He never felt it was about the money.
Well, coming off a 3-14 season, the Browns still don't have a quarterback, their starting running back is still not re-signed, and they have very little cap room to entice any really good free agents over to the team this season. Garrett's trade request also very likely made the Browns take a reputation hit. What free agent wants to sign with a team where their best player just made a trade demand very public and messy?
While Garrett might've been trying to do some PR by clearly stating he felt he had a good shot at winning with Cleveland, it ended up coming across as a bit of a lie. Having just received the highest pay day for any non-QB in the NFL, it's obvious that it was, in fact, about the money. And, that's fine. But, now trying to carry water for the team you just disliked a few weeks ago is an interesting look.