After spending the week before the Super Bowl issuing a trade request and saying that he was more interested in contending than money, defensive end Myles Garrett has agreed to stay with the Cleveland Browns for more money. That's great for him, but no fun for the rest of us.
The Browns and Garrett agreed to a four-year extension that runs through the 2030 season, paying the All-Pro pass rusher $123 million in guaranteed money and giving him a no-trade clause. He is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, eclipsing Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, who held the title for a whopping four days after his three-year extension that included $91.5 million in guaranteed pay. Garrett likely won't hold the distinction for long, since the Cincinnati Bengals are expected to pay otherworldly wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase soon.
After the Browns restructured quarterback Deshaun Watson's contract last week, which had created a salary-cap hell that was entirely of their own making and completely deserved, they had the room to pay Garrett. He's worth it, even if the team's quarterback situation is atrocious and the rest of the roster is scuttled. Browns general manager Andrew Berry must have really convinced Garrett and his agent that there was a quick path to relevancy, or maybe it was the money. It was probably the money.
Thus ends what was a fun thought experiment of Myles Garrett on a consistently good team. (Man, imagine him on the Lions.) With the Baltimore Ravens' reported re-signing of left tackle Ronnie Stanley, the NFL free agency period, which officially starts Wednesday, might turn out to be rather dull. In terms of quarterbacks, it's basically either Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, or eating the Aaron Rodgers shit sandwich. A few solid pass rushers will be available—Josh Sweat, Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa—but if a team has a good one, it's crucial to keep him, and that's why the Browns threw that kind of money at Garrett. Now comes the next step: Find someone who is not Dorian Thompson-Robinson to play at QB.
