Myles Garrett is once again skipping Cleveland Browns OTAs, and his absence is doing little to quiet the noise surrounding his future with the franchise.
Garrett is not expected to attend this week’s voluntary workouts — or any time soon — continuing a familiar offseason routine. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns remain aligned with the seven-time Pro Bowler’s approach.
“Garrett isn’t expected to participate in voluntary OTAs for the second straight season, but it didn’t prevent him from earning his second NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors last season or setting the single-season sack record with 23.0,” Cabot said. “Garrett has a process for getting ready to play, and the Browns don’t have a problem with it.”
Still, the optics of Garrett remaining away from the team with new coach Todd Monken coming in have only intensified speculation. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated recently suggested a trade can’t be ruled out, pointing to the disconnect between Garrett’s timeline and the Browns’ competitive trajectory.
“I think it’s possible,” Breer said on 92.3 The Fan. “I know there would be a lot of interest in him. To me, I think it makes all the sense in the world for the Browns to consider it because I just don’t think their timeline matches up with his.”
Myles Garrett Needs to Build Todd Monken Relationship
Monken confirmed Garrett was absent at the start of the Browns’ offseason program in April. He also revealed that at the time, the two had not yet met in person. Their communication has been limited to text messages.
“It’s fine. This is voluntary,” said Monken, downplaying the situation. “We have other guys besides Myles that aren’t here. I wish they were here. They’ll be ready. We expect them to be ready, and we’ll be fired up when they’re here. And really, all the players have informed us. They’ve been unbelievable with their communication. So has Myles. They’ve communicated. Doesn’t mean I like the communication, but it’s voluntary. I wish they were all here. I’ve said that plenty of times. But every one of them is a Brown, and we’re excited that they are.”
Another factor fueling the chatter is the Browns’ decision to modify Garrett’s contract earlier this offseason. The move, which adjusted the timing of his bonus payments, theoretically made a future trade more manageable from a cap standpoint. However, Browns general manager Andrew Berry pushed back on the trade narrative at the NFL Annual Meeting in March.
“If we wanted to trade Myles, we wouldn’t have needed to make a contract adjustment. So it doesn’t have anything to do with that,” Berry said.
Browns Star Myles Garrett Committed to Winning
The Browns have won just eight games over the last two seasons. However, the team has had two strong drafts and may be closer to contention than many believe. Garrett has been clear that he’ll be on board as long as winning remains the priority.
“I’m committed to winning. As long as the team and organization are doing so and are committed to it, I’m all on board. But if we’re thinking other than winning — tanking or rebuilding — that’s not me,” Garrett said at the end of last season.
The Browns’ mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 9-11. It represents the next major threshold. An unexcused absence for Garrett would incur fines and make it much more noticeable.
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