We need to stop everything. Stop free agency. Stop traffic. Stop gravity. Stop the presses. Stop the Earth from rotating on its axis. Just…stop. Because something remarkable happened on Sunday.
You ready?
Here it is.
The Cleveland Browns got something right. They got it so right. So, so right. Like, right times a billion.
They are keeping Pro Bowl star defensive lineman Myles Garrett. ESPN first reported and USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon was able to confirm that Garrett received a record contract extension that averages $40 million per year. The contract includes $123.5 million in guaranteed money. It makes Garrett the highest-paid, non-quarterback in NFL history. The Browns announced the four-year extension, which runs through the 2030 season, but didn’t release any financial terms.
The Browns have maybe the most loyal and terrific fan base in all of sports, but the franchise has historically, and at times embarrassingly, failed those fans. It’s not just the losing records. It’s been the personnel decisions. The bad drafts.
Deshaun Watson.
Garrett represents a historic moment in the history of the Browns. It’s finally something really good for fans that deserve it.
But it’s also smart. Garrett is simply a player you just do not let go. He’s too good. He’s a future Hall of Famer. Garrett is also a leader in that locker room and in the sport overall. Losing players like Garrett is always an indication of a team that doesn’t know what it’s doing.
Garrett last season became the first player since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to record 100 career sacks before his 29th birthday, according to ESPN. In 2023 he was the AP Defensive Player of the Year. Last season he had 14 sacks, which was second in the league.
We don’t know if the Browns can do the other vital things. Namely, can they put pieces around Garrett? Something they’ve failed to do so far. This is particularly true at the quarterback position.
It didn’t seem like the Browns would get this one right. Garrett had demanded a trade and it was reported this week that he attempted to meet with owner Jimmy Haslam but Haslam declined. That wasn’t a smart move by Haslam but it apparently didn’t negatively impact the negotiations.
‘As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl − and that goal fuels me today more than ever,’ Garrett wrote. ‘My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today.
‘While I’ve loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won’t allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl.’
It turns out Garrett wanted the cash just like everyone else in society.
‘(Browns GM) Andrew Berry and I spent the last 36 hours getting the deal done, basically,” Garrett’s agent, Nicole Lynn, said to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Myles had a change of heart and he’s excited to go from Cleveland to Canton and chase a championship in Ohio.’
Let’s put all of that aside for now. The deal got done. Even if Garrett doesn’t look all that sincere in doing so.
Browns fans have always been some of my favorite to interact with. I’ve been to countless Browns games and training camps and they are always among the smartest and most knowledgeable of all fan bases. They will tell you when they think your writing is trash and praise you when they like it. They are deeply connected to this team in ways other fan bases are not.
They are the realest of the real and they have stuck with a franchise that since 2000 has had four winning seasons and in 2016 had just one win, followed by 0-16 the following season. The quarterback situation in that time has been among the worst in league history. The team did make the playoffs in 2023 but that was an anomaly for this franchise.
The team has been historically so bad that Garrett wanted to leave.
Now, he’s staying.
Finally, yes, good news for the Browns. Stop everything.