BroBible
Browns star pass rusher Myles Garrett wants out of Cleveland. The veteran has spent each of his eight professional seasons with the franchise after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2017.
Now, he wants a change, leading a past rift with a former teammate to resurface. A sour relationship with Baker Mayfield helped lead to a poorly aging trade that’s set the organization back.
Mayfield was picked No. 1 overall by the team the year after Garrett got to the NFL. With the Browns, he posted a 29-30 overall record while leading the squad to the 2020 playoffs.
He led Cleveland to its only postseason win in the last three decades. His 11-5 regular season win/loss record remains the best for the franchise dating back to 1994.
Despite that success, Mayfield was gone two seasons later. Myles Garrett played a part. The relationship reportedly turned as the two stars butted heads on leadership styles.
Pro Football Talk wrote a story on the situation back in September of 2022. The Browns sided with Garrett when he pushed for a change at quarterback.
Per [Mary Kay] Cabot, a rift between the two “seemed to be there from the start, in part because of their personalities and leadership styles,” and Mayfield was among those in the organization who perceived a lack of strong leadership from Garrett.
Mayfield ripped Garrett in a postgame interview on national television following Garrett’s helmet incident with Mason Rudolph in 2019 that led to a six-game suspension… Mayfield upset Garrett again [in 2021] with the role he played in the departure of Odell Beckham Jr.
Cabot reports that the chasm between Mayfield and Garrett only widened to the point where Garrett wanted to see a change at quarterback for 2022.
Garrett got his wish as Cleveland would later sign Deshaun Watson to a massive deal ahead of the ’22 season. That partnership has gone as badly as possible. Not only were the passer’s legal battles a distraction, but his play on the field hasn’t lived up to expectation.
Across three seasons, he’s gone 9-10 with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He’s yet to start more than seven games in a season, and he’s failed to average 200 yards per game after leading the NFL in passing during his final year in Houston.
Injuries have played a role, which ironically could help the Browns avoid paying Watson boatloads of cash. All in all, the DW4 era in Cleveland has been lackluster, with the passer going just 1-6 as a starter in 2024.
Myles Garrett helped the Browns get to that decision to add Watson to the roster. Now, he wants out, believing he can’t win a Super Bowl with the organization even after forcing that QB change.
There’s no telling what the future would’ve held had Baker Mayfield remained under center. There likely would’ve been less drama surrounding the team. Since leaving Cleveland, the signal caller has made a pair of playoff appearances with the...
