It’s funny how quickly things change in football. Over the last few weeks, fans and analysts have predicted potential landing spots for Myles Garrett, who announced his intention to leave the Cleveland Browns for a shot at the Super Bowl elsewhere. And the Browns weren’t expected to win big anytime soon anyway. It seemed like a parting of ways was written in stone. Except it wasn’t.
Advertisement
The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year not only stayed in Cleveland but also signed a record-breaking 4-year, $160 million contract with $123.5 million guaranteed. Garrett had played his cards right to become the highest-paid non-QB player in the NFL. Many were taken aback by the turn of events, but not Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. Both saw right through the bluff that Garett and his crew were pulling.
In the latest edition of Nightcap, Unc wasted no time in calling out Garrett’s camp for requesting a “phantom trade”. For those who may not be aware, what Unc here means is requesting a trade with no true intention of acting on it. In simple words, Myles Garrett & Co. leveraged their exit announcement to ensure that the Browns paid up, or at least that’s what the veteran TE is alluding to.
“What happens when guys don’t have guaranteed money? They start requesting phantom trades. That’s the quickest way to get some money.”
Chad Johnson, always quick with the punchline, immediately noted that Garrett’s move worked like a charm.“Yeah, it worked for Myles Garrett, didn’t it?”
Johnson, however, didn’t fully buy the narrative that Garrett’s exit announcement was bogus. In his eyes, the Browns defensive standout was seriously considering an exit until his agent called.
“Yeah, but I think he meant that though. He meant that. He was dead serious. He was dead serious.”
Sharpe, however, wasn’t convinced by his co-host’s take. He believes Garrett would’ve commanded the same amount of money from any of his suitors. “Let me ask you a question—if he got traded, do you think another team wouldn’t have given him that money?” asked Unc.
Chad agreed with Sharpe. “They [other teams] would have paid double. No disrespect, they would have overpaid,” Ocho said.
Sharpe summed up the Myles Garrett situation by saying, “They gave him exactly what he got in Cleveland that they would have given him on a winning team [with] Myles Garrett not having any more guaranteed money.”
While the star defensive end is definitely the winner of the trade, let’s also not forget that the Browns have added a no-trade clause that’s basically locked Garrett as a Browns lifer.
For Cleveland supporters, this must be a great piece of news because Myles truly is the only world-class player in their ranks. Retaining him must surely lend them some hope for the future. To add to their joy, the DE’s agent, Nicole Lynn, also clarified that Garrett has already brushed aside his aspirations to play for another team.
“Myles had a change of heart and he’s excited to go from Cleveland to Canton and chase a championship in Ohio.”
Sounds good, doesn’t it? But it’s unclear whether the massive contract prompted a change of heart. That’s fine, too. Life as an NFL player is too short to earn money. Even more so when you play in a demanding position as Myles Garrett does.
Regardless, it’s been an intriguing story to see a man who was supposedly ready to walk away from Cleveland is now their highest-paid non-QB—set to dominate the trenches for years to come.
