Browns insider addresses persistent Myles Garrett trade rumors

The 1-6 Cleveland Browns have already traded wide receiver Amari Cooper this month and they were stuck with the massive contract attached to quarterback Deshaun Watson even before he suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon this past weekend. 

Thus, it's understandable that Browns insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic acknowledged on Wednesday that he's "shifted from thinking there’s almost no way" Cleveland would make reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett available to now "believing the Browns have to at least participate in the varied discussions surrounding it" ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline.

"I think the Browns have to be open to discussions about Garrett’s future — both internally about where this whole thing is headed and any external offers they might receive with contending teams believing the Browns will be sellers at the deadline," Jackson explained. "The Browns are facing a multiyear rebuild. They’re tied to around $170M in salary-cap commitments to Watson regardless of how the team decides to alter or stretch them out. There are still eight likely Browns starters this week who are 30 or older...and the future dead money involved with Cooper and pending moves over the coming weeks will force Cleveland to get younger and cheaper."

It's now known teams around the league believe the Browns are willing to discuss potential offers for Garrett, who is still in his prime and who turns just 29 years old in late December. He's under contract through the 2026 season and it's believed he could be traded this fall for multiple first-round draft picks and multiple second-round selections. 

Jackson could see the Browns asking for draft choices and also "a young player with multiple seasons left on his rookie contract" in return for Garrett. For a different piece published on Wednesday, Mike Jones and Jeff Howe of The Athletic suggested that Cleveland could also listen to offers regarding fan-favorite running back Nick Chubb.

The Browns blowing things up is now the inevitable conclusion of a Watson era that should've been avoided for multiple reasons back in 2022. Delaying the rebuild would only set the club back further and that's why Cleveland moving on from Garrett and any other veteran who has trade value must be on the table before the first Tuesday night of November arrives. 

Either current Browns general manager Andrew Berry or a different executive is going to need a plethora of draft assets over the next few years to fix what could become the NFL's worst overall roster by September 2025.