Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku is doing his part to try to keep Myles Garrett from leaving.
Garrett has requested a trade out of Cleveland, which he shared publicly this week through social media and various media interviews.
“I just felt it was time. I had taken my time after the season, kind of relaxed and decompressed emotionally,” Garrett said on the Rich Eisen Show. “Wanted to distance myself a little bit and spent a little time talking to my family about how we feel about this decision.
“It’s not a decision I take lightly. It took time and lots of conversation. Just looking at the trajectory of the team, talking to some of the higher-ups, I have a lot of respect for them but I just don’t think we’re aligned on where the team is going in the near future.”
Njoku is pleading with Garrett to stick around and help the Browns to their ultimate, lofty goal of winning a Super Bowl.
“Stay home baby. We almost there!!!” Njoku wrote on Instagram, tagging Garrett.
David Njoku Will Talk to Myles Garrett
Njoku had his own spat with the Browns shortly after head coach Kevin Stefanski took over in 2020. It led to a trade demand from Njoku, which the Browns did not grant. But staying in Cleveland turned out to be a solid option for Njoku, who signed a new deal with the Browns shortly after and notched his first Pro Bowl season as a key part of the offense.
Njoku said he plans to speak with Garrett about his trade demand.
“For me, I’m Cleveland ride or die,” Njoku told cleveland.com. “I hope Myles tries to stay. That’s like a brother to me, obviously, so I’m going talk to him and see what I can do. That’s above me, obviously.”
Both Njoku and Garrett are in New Orleans for the Super Bowl and should find time to connect.
“Obviously Myles is a big part of our team, so you hate to see a guy like that leave,” Njoku said. “So hopefully doesn’t.”
Denzel Ward Also Pondering Browns’ Future
The Browns trading Garrett would send a bad signal to the rest of the team. Garrett’s focus is on winning and Cleveland has a lot of key players in place who don’t want to go through a rebuild.
Cornerback Denzel Ward is one of those players. He said he may have to reconsider his future with the franchise if Garrett is dealt.
“I’m not going to say I don’t want to be here,” Ward told Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “I definitely want to be in Cleveland and play for Cleveland, but I think it’s just tough. I would hope we wouldn’t trade a guy like Myles Garrett away. That would be hard to see, and I would have to see the idea of, are we trying to win if we’re trading Hall of Fame players like that? We’ve just got to wait to see what happens, but I want to play with Myles though.”
It will be a telling few weeks — or even months — for the Browns as they try to sort through the drama.
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