Myles Garrett wants to be traded from the Cleveland Browns, a request that’s been public for roughly a month now. The Browns, for their part, have been steadfast in that they don’t plan to trade the star pass-rusher. So, even with teams like the Philadelphia Eagles interested in Garrett, it seems we’re simply at an impasse right now.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, however, may have just started to make things far less cordial than they should be in this ordeal.
On Friday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Garrett requested a meeting with Browns ownership, Haslam specifically, and the owner in Cleveland turned down that chance. Pelissero added this makes it clear that the Browns are fully intent on not talking about a possible trade but noted that Garrett is prepared to hold out into the regular season if he’s not moved.
While you can pretty easily understand why the Browns wouldn’t want to trade one of the league’s best pass rushers, it’s completely asinine on Haslam’s part to handle the situation like this, completely cutting off Garrett from meeting with him.
Browns owner refusing to meet Myles Garrett should all but guarantee trade
Does Haslam think that this is going to make anything better? If he takes the meeting, there’s at least an opportunity for the Browns side of the equation to Garrett and potentially even make up some ground between these two parties. Instead, the relationship only becomes more obviously and blatantly contentious, which is surely going to cause Garrett to dig in even further.
Ultimately, that would seem to make the Browns trading Garrett more likely as we move forward. It’s always been fully understandable why a player of his caliber has wanted out of Cleveland given the dysfunction the franchise has been mired in. He wants to win and a trade seems the likeliest chance for him to have a chance to do that. Now that the organization is also ostensibly ignoring him, though, who could possibly expect Garrett to be happy with how things are developing or for things to improve?
While Howie Roseman and the Eagles have to be pleased with this latest development and the potential implications for the Browns, fans in Cleveland should be livid. It’s ownership and the front office’s fault that they’re in this position with Garrett. It’s impossible to really blame Garrett for wanting out. And now Haslam, at minimum, handling the situation like a petulant toddler.
One thing that’s clear from this, though, is that the Eagles or any other interested party will have to wait. This isn’t a saga that’s going to end quickly for the Browns and Myles Garrett and, in fact, it might only get uglier from here. If this latest rebuffed attempt at a meeting is an indication, though, the trade might still be inevitable.