Two years ago, Myles Garrett went on a media tour during Super Bowl week and openly discussed his desire to be traded from the Cleveland Browns to a contender. Less than two weeks later, he signed the richest contract by a non-quarterback in the history of the league at that time.
Ironically, Garrett's new deal included a no-trade clause, which he waived on June 1 to help finalize Cleveland's mega trade with the Los Angeles Rams. Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, he then did two things Browns fans would have loved to see him do in Cleveland: restructure his contract and attend spring workouts.
Garrett agreed to move some money around — including a $5 million raise this year and a $10.7 million pay cut in 2027, per Over the Cap's Jason Fitzgerald — to help the Rams lower his salary cap hits to the lowest amount possible. He'll only count for $8.6 million against the Rams' cap in 2026, and that feels like a major gut punch to the Browns.
As FanSided's Nick Villano pointed out, Garrett will be one of the best contract values in the NFL this season.
"This is the guy we just saw break the sacks record, which stood for more than a decade. Garrett is as dominant as they come, but he came out of negotiations with his new team, and he understood the assignment," Villano wrote. "Garrett is a team player based on everything we’ve seen him do on and off the football field. Being the guy who picks up the slack for salaries in pursuit of a championship is always a good look for public perception."
Unlike in Cleveland, Myles Garrett is all-in with the Rams
Myles Garrett was an amazing player for the Browns — a generational one, even — but he was never the quintessential team player. He wasn't showing leadership by requesting a trade during his national media tour, or every year the team had to answer for why he wasn't showing up for voluntary spring workouts. He certainly wasn't being a team player when he posted memes right after the Browns hired Todd Monken, a coach he passed on meeting face-to-face.
It's not like Garrett joining the Rams was just about winning or the love of the game. He's still going to cash in on his generational wealth at some point. He just knows this move will give him a better shot at winning a championship and boosting his legacy. It may look altruistic, but it also benefits Garrett's long-term goals.
One can't blame a player for outgrowing a small-market team, and there were certainly football reasons for Garrett to want out. He still could have dealt with this situation better, and everything he's done since arriving in Los Angeles feels intentional.
At the end of the day, players are judged by what they accomplished on the field, and Garrett is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. As for whether he did what he could to help the Browns — and not himself — win when he was in Cleveland? That's a different story.
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