Myles Garrett is, currently, one of the most beloved figures in Cleveland sports. Outside of the mega-good Cleveland Cavaliers of present and past, and the currently feisty Cleveland Guardians, Garrett represents a bright side to watching the Cleveland Browns.
But, that has potential to change after Garrett's recent trade request to the Browns was made public in a letter shared by him earlier this week. Garrett has every right to demand off of a team that, according to him, has yet to offer a good enough plan for winning in the future. After eight dedicated seasons, anyone of his talent would get tired of dreaming of next season.
However, Garrett's recent comments at various media stops prior to Super Bowl LIX might have Browns fans a bit bothered.
Garrett's recent comments during media frenzy likely to bother Browns fans
Garrett stopped at a few booths covering Super Bowl LIX down in New Orleans on Wednesday, and was asked about the elephant in the room at essentially every single stop. At one booth in particular - hosted by CBS Sports radio host Zach Gelb - Garrett spoke highly of one of the team's in the Super Bowl this weekend.
Gelb asked Garrett, "When you walk around here today, what's the one team that you got the most, 'hey, come join my team'?"
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Garrett said that the Eagles were "out in full force," that he had heard a "good amount" from Detroit, and that the Commanders had "spoken up a couple of times, as well." But, he specifically made sure to describe the Eagles as positively as possible.
"I know my fate isn't really in my hands, but it would be a hell of a destination."
He also stopped by Sports Illustrated's SI Now booth, where he laughed at a question that specifically marked Washington as a team that could desperately use his services.
During that interview, in response to the host asking bluntly if Garrett would like to go to the Commanders, Garrett said, "I think they need a pass rusher. I think that's something that they dearly missed. They're in the playoffs, and in some of the big games, and I feel like I can fill that role. But you know, that's a role that multiple teams need. And I know that not only am I the best pass rusher, but the best defensive player in the game, and that's invaluable in itself."
Garrett also made sure to tell NFL analyst Mina Kimes later in the day during his stop at her radio booth that he would love the opportunity to play for a team with a great quarterback just like Washington's Jayden Daniels.
"Any playoff team or any championship team, they're gonna have a good quarterback. You've seen some game managers go out with great defenses and win it all, but if you want to consistently be at the top, you've gotta have a really good quarterback," said Garrett right before praising Daniels for being that exact archetype of signal caller and play maker.
So, the current hypothetical list of teams that Garrett's heard from so far as ones scouting him for their teams: the Lions, the Commanders, and the Eagles. All three can be considered contenders, which is exactly the kind of team Garrett mentioned wanting to be a part of in his trade request.
It just doesn't feel like this is the level of public wave flagging that fans anticipated from Garrett this offseason or after his trade request. Given that its only been three days since that request was made, it seems like this is just the start to a ton of speculation sourced from Garrett himself.
However, that anger might just be displaced. The Browns clearly presented a vision that went against Garrett's definition of winning, and that's going to end up being a huge problem for them down the road when trying to attract free agent talent or retain their current talent this offseason. Cleveland has multiple All Pro players on their team, and they haven't moved as such for multiple seasons.