Jimmy Haslam tried to quiet Myles Garrett talk and may have made it worse

One day after general manager Andrew Berry took the approach of a politician, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam did his best to shut down the now rampant speculation about a potential Myles Garrett trade this offseason.

Unfortunately, Haslam may have fanned the flames in the process.

Fans were left utterly confused last week when Garrett and the Browns agreed to defer three years' worth of option bonuses in his contract, including 2026. The team attempted to spin the move, through ESPN’s Adam Schefter, as a nothing-to-see-here adjustment that will benefit Garrett in the short term, while providing the team with added cap flexibility in future seasons.

No one’s buying that, of course, as Garrett’s now deferred 2026 option bonus makes his contract way more tradable than it was a week ago. If Garrett were traded this year after June 1, for example, the Browns would clear over $8 million in cap space (while pushing some added dead money into 2027), and the acquiring team would inherit his full $31 million-plus salary for this upcoming season, according to Over the Cap.

Browns brass, however, has been performing damage control at the NFL Owners Meetings in Phoenix. Berry made it clear to reporters on Sunday that Garrett’s contract tweak was not connected to a looming trade. He also stopped short of clearly stating that Garrett would not be traded this year.

Haslam took a similar, uneven path on Garrett in his session with reporters on Monday. He somehow managed to call Garrett both a unicorn and an “integral part of what we do with the Cleveland Browns,” while also revealing that Garrett is expected to remain away from the team on April 6, when veteran players are scheduled to report to Berea to begin voluntary offseason workouts.

"(Andrew Berry) talks to Myles regularly," Haslam said of Garrett. "So I doubt Myles is there on April 7th, but Myles hasn't shown the need to be there. And we have a new defensive coordinator, but we're basically going to run the same defense. So I think Myles will be ready to go."

What Jimmy Haslam revealed about Myles Garrett won't calm anything

There’s no such thing as hyperbole with Garrett. Not anymore, at least. When one of the best football players on the planet publicly campaigns for a trade, as Garrett did around the Super Bowl in 2025, settles for a then-record extension, and follows it all up with one of the greatest singular season performances in NFL history, we’re all free to react accordingly to even the tiniest sliver of news.

Garrett and the Browns agreeing to amended language around option bonuses in his contract should be nothing more than a footnote at this stage of the offseason. But despite Haslam’s best efforts to insist that Garrett is happy, his pending no-show for Phase 1 of the team’s voluntary offseason program is worth the headlines it will almost certainly generate.

Again, we’re talking about voluntary workouts, not mandatory ones. It’s completely within Garrett’s right to enjoy his offseason and report to Berea when contractually required. But the face of the franchise has also talked openly about his desires to win. And if the Browns are poised to surprise in Year 1 of the Todd Monken era, the first building blocks will be placed on April 6, the Monday after Easter Sunday.

Because the Browns hired a new head coach, they’re permitted to begin their offseason program early, essentially giving them two extra weeks over teams with returning head coaches, who begin on April 20. Mike Vrabel, the former Browns coaching and personnel consultant in 2024 who took over as head coach of the New England Patriots last year, cited that extra time as critical in setting expectations and building a tight locker room culture that helped the Patriots vastly exceed expectations that season.

Garrett potentially skipping these same workouts for the Browns, from a 10,000-foot view, should be similar to his recent contract amendment — nothing to see here. We’re talking about Myles Garrett. He’ll be able to show up and be the best player on the field whenever he decides to report back to Berea. 

But the Browns have a new head coach in Monken. They have a new defensive coordinator in Mike Rutenberg. They have a looming quarterback competition that’s sure to dominate the offseason headlines. They have critical players, like running back Quinshon Judkins and defensive tackle Maliek Collins, coming off season-ending injuries. There’s going to be a lot to sort out this summer, so any head start in the spring would serve this team well.

Monken and the Browns would probably love to have the face of their franchise present and ready to go on April 6. It would be a great look if he did report. If he doesn't? In the grand scheme of things? It's probably a one out of 10 on the importance meter.

But will Garrett’s expected absence quell speculation about his uncertain future in Cleveland? Of course not.