Well, that was anticlimactic. Or so it seems. Not that the Cincinnati Bengals would ever dream of giving up what's required to trade for division rival Myles Garrett, nor should they have, but the latest trade speculation on the Cleveland Browns legend offered a whiff of hope.
Nobody on the Bengals' offensive line wants to face Garrett twice a year anymore. Joe Burrow sure doesn't want to keep getting hit by him. So when Cleveland reworked Garrett's contract to open up future trade flexibility, there appeared to be at least a puncher's chance that someone could blow the Browns away with an offer and get Garrett out of the AFC North.
According to the latest reporting from ESPN insider Adam Schefter, Garrett is in Cleveland to stay. Despite the ridiculous sums of money Myles makes, I still say: Poor guy!
Browns are '100% definitely not trading Myles Garrett', per ESPN's Adam Schefter
In the latest episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Schefty was adamant in his denial that Cleveland's restructuring of Garrett's deal means that a blockbuster trade is in the offing:
"I called the Browns and they said they're 100% definitely not trading Myles Garrett..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 26, 2026
They were adamant about it" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/7JM8LPrbsP
This could be a classic case of Schefter putting out a report to bait potential Garrett suitors into offering the galaxy for him. The more unavailable someone of Garrett's caliber appears to be, the likelier some team is to go above and beyond to try to acquire him.
Garrett did demand a trade only about a calendar year ago before the Browns gave him a new contract. It's not like he hasn't flirted with the possibility of fleeing Cleveland before.
Nevertheless, the ball is more or less in Myles' court here. He has a no-trade clause that he'd have to waive, which limits some of the would-be trade partners the Browns could negotiate with. It's not like Garrett would readily accept a move to, say, the Arizona Cardinals or the New York Jets, for instance.
Beyond the implications of Garrett leaving a Bengals rival, though, as a football purist and a true sicko appreciator of the sport, it's a shame that a first-ballot Hall of Famer like Garrett is wasting his best years in Cleveland.
As much criticism as I hurtle at the Bengals organization on a near-daily basis, the Browns are a far more egregious dumpster fire. Money talks, but Garrett never should've signed that last contract. he should've stuck to his principles of wanting to play for a winner, and followed through fully on that trade demand.
Instead, Garrett turns 31 in late December. By then, Cleveland is likely to be out of the playoff picture amid yet another losing season. The clock on his career is ticking louder by the day.
What gives? The Browns are in a multi-year rebuild. Garrett is nearing the end of his presumed prime. His contract just became a lot more tradeable? What is Cleveland GM Andrew Berry waiting for? Why the obsession with clinging to one of the few things the franchise has done right over the past decade? Oh wait. Think I just landed on it.
Similar to Maxx Crosby with the Raiders, Garrett can't make enough of an individual difference to turn the Browns around. Let him go, Cleveland! Not just for the Bengals' sake, but for his own legacy — and yours!
The Browns' reputation would actually improve if they traded Garrett and got a historic haul for him. Plus, with all those assets, they might, at long last, have hope at building a sustainable winner.