At the start of the offseason, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett appeared to be fed up. The former Defensive Player of the Year demanded a trade, sending shockwaves through both Cleveland and the NFL.
It was beginning to look more and more like Garrett's tenure with Browns had reached a tenuous end, as the 29-year-old seemed to be squelching any chance of a reconciliation.
Garrett made it clear that he did not like the direction of the franchise, and he even went on a public media tour explaining his trade request, which didn't really sit well with the fan base. You can the only imagine how Garrett's teammates felt.
Well, the six-time Pro Bowler ultimately agreed to a four-year, $160 million contract extension with the Browns in early March, putting an end to all of the drama. Or did it?
Garrett still had to speak to his teammates following the whole ordeal, and recently, he revealed how those tough conversations went.
“I’ve talked to (my teammates), and they understand it’s a business,” Garrett said, via Zac Jackson of The Athletic. “We love what we do, and I love this team, and they understand that I was trying to do what’s best for me. And after talking with them, like I said months ago, talking with AB (general manager Andrew Berry) and (coach) Kevin (Stefanski) about what’s best for me and what’s best for this team, eventually that aligned and we’re looking forward to the future of this team.”
It's hard to determine exactly what changed for Garrett (other than the record-setting money, of course), but what we do know is that the former No. 1 overall pick is now under contract with Cleveland 2030, and barring any more trade demands, he will be spending the rest of his prime years with the Browns.
