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Following Myles Garrett requesting a trade from the Cleveland Browns, the franchise might be patient to trade him. It’s not because they want to frustrate their star player. It’s more of a financial reason. “If the Browns ever do get to the point where they decide to trade Garrett, the only way to make it work cap-wise is to do it after June 1,” according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
A trade has to happen after June 1 to allow a team to split the cap charge over two years. Trading Garrett now would result in a dead money hit of more than $36 million. This would be much higher than the roughly $19.7 million he’d count against the cap if he were on their 2025 roster.
Considering the Browns have another heavy contract on their roster with Deshaun Watson, saving money would be huge. The NFL isn’t like the NBA or the MLB in this regard. Once a player is traded, the team still owes that player whatever money they were guaranteed.
The dead money, and $36 million to be exact, could have a long-lasting impact on the franchise. It would not let them be able to sign free agents, as well as possibly drafting.
Graziano added more depth to how Cleveland could take its course with the move. “Waiting until after the draft, of course, means they can’t get 2025 draft picks in return for Garrett,” Graziano said. “But it’s hard to see how they can afford to move him, take on $36 million-plus in dead money, and operate the rest of their offseason.”
Again, Watson’s lucrative contract makes it hard to swallow any amount of money at this point. Even though they could land a plethora of assets and possible draft picks for Garrett, these cons might outweigh the pros. After a brutal 3-14 season, it’s clear that Garrett wants to win.
He’s been with the franchise for eight seasons and has consistently been one of the top players in the league. Funny enough, Garrett won the 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year trophy. With his accolades piling up, it’s clear that he wants to win. For that to happen though, he might have to wait until after the draft to be traded.
Either way, Cleveland has some tough decisions to make involving its future. Regardless, they’ll need to involve Garrett to make themselves better, as well as send him to where he wants to be.
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