DE Myles Garrett is the No. 1 player the Pittsburgh Steelers have had to game plan for when Mike Tomlin’s group plays the Cleveland Browns. That might not be the case too much longer. Speaking to the media near the end of a lost season, Garrett hinted the franchise has to light the path forward in order for Garrett to be apart of it.
“I’m not trying to rebuild. I’m trying to win right now,” Garrett said via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi Friday. “And I want that to be apparent when the season is over and we have those discussions. I want them to be able to illuminate, illustrate that for me so that can be something I can see in the near future. Because that’s all we want to do.”
Cleveland.com’s and Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot led her column more explicitly, entitled “Myles Garrett might want out if the Browns can’t show him a plan for winning now.”
To be clear, Garrett didn’t lay out a trade request. As Oyefusi noted, Garrett has expressed a desire to stay with Cleveland before. But he also wants to win and if the Browns don’t start moving in that direction, his mind might change. He’s only been to the playoffs twice in eight NFL seasons and won only one game, the 2020 upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fairness, that’s one more playoff win than T.J. Watt has but the Steelers have consistently been more competitive and making progress with an all-in mentality that’s working, upgrading at quarterback and along the offense.
Signing an extension in 2020, his current deal runs through 2026. That limits his leverage. But that’s also just two years away and star players like Garrett who make a big enough stink can push their way out. There’s plenty of reason for him to be miffed with what’s happened in Cleveland. They’ve regressed from making a playoff run in 2020 to making the postseason just once in the last three seasons. They were one-and-done in the Wild Card round last year, losing to C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans following two Joe Flacco pick-sixes.
It’s a far cry where from Garrett was just a couple weeks ago, boasting about being No. 1 in the world after a three-sack performance and win over the Steelers. He’s crashed back to Earth, reminded he’s playing for a team poised to pick top-ten in the 2025 NFL Draft. Losing teams also hurt legacy. Had Garrett’s Browns been playoff competitive, his odds of a second DPOY Award would be much higher. Instead, he might watch T.J. Watt win his second.
With a bloated Deshaun Watson contract, underachieving defense, and running game that’s stuck now that Nick Chubb is no longer “Mr. Chubb” caliber, the Browns don’t have a clear path forward. Playing in a difficult AFC North, they haven’t won the division since 1989. Doing so without a solution at quarterback will prove tough. If Cleveland can’t find the answer, they might have to find a new star pass rusher, too.
