The Cleveland Browns organization hasn’t seen much team success over the storied career of reigning Defensive Player of the Year – Myles Garrett. In large part, this is what led Garrett to formally requesting a trade from the organization with an expressed desire to win a Super Bowl.
Well, few players can relate to Garrett’s situation more than Hall of Famer, Joe Thomas – who spent 11 seasons in Cleveland. Thomas provided a unique perspective to Garrett’s trade request earlier this month.
Joe Thomas Reacts to Myles Garrett’s Trade Request
Thomas posted a video about Garrett’s trade request on X, which certainly saw the Hall of Fame tackle able to sympathize with his situation.
Thomas stated, “Garrett’s been a foundation of the Cleveland defense for years.” Thomas added, “He’s played at a Hall of Fame level since he was a rookie. Yet despite the dominance that he has shown, the Browns have failed to build a team capable of sustained success. So his request really isn’t about disloyalty to Cleveland — don’t make that mistake. It’s more about making the most of his career while he’s still in his prime.”
Thomas’ dominance on the field on a mostly bad football team certainly strikes a handful of similarities regarding Garrett’s individual excellence on the field – regardless of where the team finished in the standings in any given season where either of these players were on the football field.
Many objective Browns’ fans can likely understand exactly why Garrett decided to formally request a trade this offseason, which makes for a very unfortunate situation for all parties involved.
The Deshaun Watson trade hasn’t helped the team win more football games and doesn’t exactly give Garrett a ton of a optimism about where the team is going in a loaded AFC North division – which features two of the best quarterbacks in the sports (Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson) and a Pittsburgh Steelers organization that has regularly made trips to the postseason regardless of who has been under center.
Thomas even called the Watson trade “disastrous” in his reaction video, which feel like an objective take from a Hall of Famer who loves the organization and has a special connection to its fans.
Myles Garrett’s Potential Landing Spots
There have been no shortage of suitors who likely believe they are a Myles Garrett away from potentially making a push to the Super Bowl. After all, stringing together seven consecutive seasons of 10+ sacks is elite production. And we all saw what a dominant pass rushing performance by a front four unit can do to an elite quarterback like Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX.
Teams like the Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills – who both made their respective Conference Championships – both make a lot of sense. Particularly the Commanders, who are loaded with NFL Draft capital and have a ton of cash available to spend this offseason.
Other playoff teams like the Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers all come to mind – which would see Garrett shipped off to the NFC.
No matter where Garrett ultimately ends up playing football in 2025, his tenure with the Browns has been nothing short of objectively great. We’ll see if the organization is able to smooth things over with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year or if Garrett will find himself on a new team with his eyes firmly set on hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
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