Why the Cleveland Browns Won’t Be Trading Their Star Edge Rusher in 2026

‍Since he requested a trade in the 2025 NFL Offseason, Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett has been the most tantalizing player for fans to speculate about being traded to another club. Even though he later walked back his trade request after inking a $160 million contract with the Browns, fans still can’t stop talking about a future where Garrett resides somewhere other than Cleveland. Whether it be returning to his home state of Texas as a Dallas Cowboy or on a Super Bowl contender like the Chicago Bears or Buffalo Bills, the league's rumor mill has run rampant with speculation about whether the Browns would trade Garrett and what they would get in return. A lot of the speculation stems from the football community’s disregard for the ever-flawed franchise that is the Cleveland Browns, and the fact that fans and front office officials alike would like to see a player of Garrett’s caliber play for a winning team as he approaches the end of his playing career after turning 30 years old. However, everybody is just going to have to wait for at least a year to see Garrett depart from Cleveland. 

The whirlwind of speculation around a trade of the former Texas A&M Aggie got itself a sequel this offseason after the Browns restructured his contract. Garrett and the Browns came to terms on an agreement that pushes the date of when monetary bonuses will be paid to the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year from March to early September, which gives the Browns no real wiggle room with their cap space from this agreement. What it really means is that the bonus would be paid by a different team, should Garrett find himself on a new squad before opening day. In layman’s terms, the restructuring agreement creates an opening for Cleveland to trade Garrett before the bulk of his giant contract needs to be paid, which is why the trade rumors have picked up so feverishly as of late. Coupled with the fact that the Browns tried introducing a rule change that would allow teams to trade draft picks up to five years in the future in a single deal at the NFL Annual League Meeting. Now, all of a sudden, the idea of general manager Andrew Berry trying to fix up a Garrett trade seems to make more sense on paper. 

Sadly for the other 31 NFL clubs, Garrett’s not going anywhere anytime soon. When speaking to the media at the NFL owners’ meeting, Berry came out flat and said that Cleveland will not be entertaining the idea of trading the most prodigious edge rusher in the history of their franchise. Not only that, Berry reemphasized the idea of Garrett being “a career Brown”, which also puts a damper on any near-future plans for the five-time All-Pro to leave Cleveland in a trade. Simply put, Browns fans, and fans of every other team, can look forward to seeing Garrett suit up in his brown and orange uniform this September. 

There have also been a few developments around the league, especially within Cleveland’s AFC North Division, that also factor into why Berry is keeping Garrett on the team. Just recently, the NFL watched the Baltimore Ravens shockingly pull out of a blockbuster trade agreement with the Las Vegas Raiders that would have sent all-world pass rusher Maxx Crosby to the Ravens, but were concerned with Crosby’s future injury probability. That now sets up a very awkward season for both Crosby and the Raiders, who will have to field their star player after trying to get rid of him in March. For a franchise that is quite familiar with embarrassment, the Browns would be silly to trade Garrett in an offseason climate that has already seen one team rescind a huge trade deal. Berry also has to consider what the potential return package would be for Garrett. The 30-year-old has consistently produced otherworldly seasons for Cleveland year in and year out, and is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he set the record for sacks in a single season. Unless a team is willing to fork up an unseemly amount of draft capital and multiple young, talented players that the Browns can build around, no deal would seem fair. Crazier deals have been seen before, especially for Cleveland, but much like what Berry said, all signs point in the direction of Garrett staying as a Brown.