The standoff between the Cleveland Browns and star pass rusher Myles Garrett is officially over.
Just days before the start of the new league year, the two sides came to terms on what is a record-setting, four-year contract extension, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The new deal makes Garrett not only the highest-paid defensive player in football, but also the highest-paid non-quarterback at a clip of $40 milliion per year on average. Browns officials confirmed the news shortly after Schefter’s report.
The full deal includes a figure of $123.5 million in guaranteed money and keeps the 2017 No. 1 overall pick in town through the 2030 season. Garrett’s agent, Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports and Browns GM Andrew Berry finalized the deal on Sunday after reportedly spending the previous 36 hours or so in negotiations.
It’s a surprising resolution to Garrett’s very public trade request, which came to light a little over a month ago, leading into Super Bowl week. Since then, the two sides have remained at odds over a potential split.
Berry and the Browns had repeatedly said they had no intentions of moving the 2023 AP Defensive Player of the Year, something he reiterated as recently as last week at the NFL Combine.
Garrett, meanwhile, had previously said his request was not about money but simply about wanting to play for a real title contender. News of the deal also follows a report on Friday that Garrett was denied a meeting with team owner Jimmy Haslam and that he was willing to sit out games next season.
In the end, the Browns called his bluff, proving once again that everybody has a price.
