The Cleveland Browns made Myles Garrett one of the highest-paid players in NFL history last week, and one reporter believes that was a mistake.
In a column on Thursday arguing that the Browns should have traded Garrett rather than signing him to an extension, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic shared some unflattering tidbits about the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year’s work habits. Lloyd questioned whether Garrett was being genuine when the 29-year-old cited the desire to win a championship as the reason for his trade request last month.
Lloyd said the Browns had better hope Garrett’s new 4-year, $160 million contract “brings a sense of responsibility rather than entitlement.”
“It’s well known within the Browns that Garrett is frequently late to the facility,” Lloyd wrote. “He has skipped mandatory team activities on multiple occasions. Veterans typically police the locker room on those types of things and create the culture of accountability, but here, it’s the best player breaking the rules. That has to change now.”
Obviously, the Browns do not have significant concerns about any of that. They reset the market when they gave Garrett a deal with $40 million annualyl. Garrett also has a no-trade clause, which is extremely uncommon in the NFL.
Players skip offseason activities for a variety of reasons. Though Lloyd has been critical of Garrett in the past, the former No. 1 overall pick’s production speaks for itself.
Garrett has 102.5 sacks in eight NFL seasons. He had 14 sacks in each of the last two seasons and 16 in each of the two seasons before that. He really could not be more of a game-changer.
Garrett’s record is not exactly impeccable. He was suspended indefinitely several years ago for dangerously swinging a helmet at an opponent, but there have not been any real issues since — at least publicly.
You could make the argument that trading Garrett would not have been a terrible idea for the Browns, as they were not a contender with him last season. But Garrett’s level of talent rarely comes around in the NFL. If he is late to a meeting or two, you can understand why Cleveland is willing to put up with it.
