A slight change has been made to Myles Garrett‘s Browns contract. The reigning Defensive Player of the 12 months has agreed to beat back the payment dates on his option bonuses, ESPN’s Field Yates reports.
Garrett was originally owed those payments on the fifteenth day of the league yr each season from 2026-28. Within the case of this yr, that fell on Wednesday, with Yates noting this revision was finalized sooner or later earlier. Now, Garrett is in line to gather the cash one week before the beginning of the regular season in annually (bringing his contract consistent with other Cleveland pacts in that respect).
As detailed by Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, this move won’t yield any cap savings for the Browns unless the worth of the choice bonuses ($10MM in 2026, $13MM in 2027 and $7MM in 2028) have been modified. It will surely come as a surprise if that were to be the case. Per Yates, the changes have nevertheless taken place in a way “that has profit” to Garrett, who inked a four-year, $160MM extension last offseason. Yates adds that $8MM in base salary has been converted to roster bonuses for 2029 and ’30; they’re scheduled to be paid out early in those league years.
Some observers have noted this tweak to Garrett’s deal would make a hypothetical trade more viable. Delaying option payments until just before the beginning of the season would indeed widen Cleveland’s window of opportunity to work out a trade with interested teams. The 30-year-old’s 2025 extension accommodates a no-trade clause, nonetheless, so he would wish to approve of any potential swap. Garrett’s current focus will remain on helping lead the Browns to a rebound in 2026. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com confirms no thought is currently being given to a trade.
The five-time All-Pro broke the single-season sack record (23) in 2025, resulting in his second profession Defensive Player of the 12 months nod. Strong defensive showings might be expected once more for the Browns moving forward, and Garrett will in fact be counted on the paved the way for years to come back. Within the event of continued struggles on the team’s part, though, trade speculation will little question pick up over again.