Myles Garrett has yet to take back his trade request. And, that's fair. The Cleveland Browns haven't been able to exhibit any attempts at becoming a winning club again, with free agency yet to open and the draft still two months away.
For now, we have to wait and see if the Browns choose to honor the request and begin shopping Garrett around - likely after the draft - or if they'll deny the request and hope the changes they make ahead of Week 1 convince him to stick with the program.
Either way, Garrett had a formidable 2024 season despite Cleveland finishing up 3-14. He was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, and was the league's leading pass rusher. Despite a lack of motivation on paper to perform that well, he did. And, he's continued to get flowers for his performance from PFF.
PFF names Garrett 2nd-best player from 2024 season
PFF published their top 101 players from the 2024 season on Friday, courtesy writers Mason Cameron, Dalton Wasserman, and Max Chadwick. And, Garrett landed at number two overall amongst the stacked list, only behind quarterback Lamar Jackson.
"This was his fourth consecutive season with at least a 92.0 overall grade. He tied division rivalTrey Hendrickson for the most regular season pressures with 83 and recorded an incredible 23.1% pass-rush win rate. Garrett’s resumé speaks for itself at this point. No matter where he plays next season, he can be expected to record elite production," said the PFF writers.
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Garrett managed to also record his fourth season in a row with 14 or more sacks, which has never been done before. He had some incredible games this past season, with two three-sack performances and never ending pressures on quaterbacks that helped to keep games close for much longer than they probably should have been.
Unfortunately, defense did not lead to wins for the Browns or Garrett. And now, he's left the team with the option to either trade him or make moves to improve the roster, and quickly. With the latter feeling next to impossible given their cap space situation, it seems likelier that Garrett will be playing elsewhere to begin 2025.
As the PFF writers mention, though, Garrett will continue to be elite wherever he lands this offseason. It's going to sting for Browns fans to see him thrive with another squad, much like it has stung for New York Giants fans to see Saquon Barkley to immediately become a Super Bowl champion after leaving their team.