Myles Garrett's trade request is public. His desire to go compete for a Super Bowl has been made loud and clear with a statement published on Monday, in which he expressed that while he's loved his time with the Browns since being drafted back in 2017 by the team, he's ready to move on so he has an actual chance at winning something meaningful.
This is a very valid request from Garrett. After years of major ups and downs for Cleveland, they finally looked poised to break through in 2023 after going 11-7 and making the postseason. It was clear that they just needed a solid playmaker at quarterback to make it happen consistently.
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Instead, they went back to Deshaun Watson as their answer at QB1, and everything's devolved since then. As a result, the Browns went 3-14 in 2024 and looked nothing like the defensive powerhouse they were in 2023. That had to have hit Garrett hard, and after a weekend of participating in the Pro Bowl, it's clear Garrett knew it was time to publicly ask out.
However, his statement and request for the trade is very unique in the sense that, if you've been following the team, you can immediately peg the major shade thrown at general manager Andrew Berry reading it through.
Garrett throws shade at Andrew Berry in trade request
Let's take a step back and remember what Berry told reporters just one week ago on January 29, ahead of the Senior Bowl. When asked about the possibility of trading Garrett, Berry said:
""We feel really good about Myles obviously as a big piece of our future...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.""Andrew Berry
Now, fast forward to this week, and to Garrett's trade request. In his statement, Garrett said:
""While I've loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won't allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl.""Myles Garrett
You cannot get more on the nose than that.
Berry has completely fumbled this entire process between himself and Garrett, so much so that Garrett - who has not thrown this level of a subliminal towards the front office yet - felt the need to both publicly announce his request and include a direct shot back at something Berry said in a press conference about him.
It's just a terrible look for the Cleveland front office, who are once again left between a rock and a hard place that they constructed themselves.