Myles Garrett Reaches Five-Year Deal With Browns to Become Highest-Paid Non-QB in League
The 2019 season was a disappointment for the Cleveland Browns. After finishing 2018 7-8-1 and with some momentum, Cleveland struggled in 2019 as they never really seemed to put things together when all was said and done. Cleveland regressed under Freddie Kitchens, starting the year 2-6 and even after three straight wins to push back into the fringes of the playoff race, they couldn’t maintain that momentum. The Browns dropped four of their final five games to end up on the outside of the playoffs. Their late season swoon cost Kitchens his job so it will be former Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski taking over the reins.
Cleveland really struggled down the stretch in part due to missing arguably their top player on the defensive side of the ball in Myles Garrett. He was suspended the final six games of the season after swinging his helmet at Steelers’ quarterback Mason Rudolph at the end of a Thursday Night Football contest, which was won 21-7 by Cleveland. Garrett had his suspension upheld and was fined $45,623 before having his indefinite suspension lifted in February by commissioner Roger Goodell.
On Wednesday, Garrett put pen to paper and signed a five-year extension worth $125 million with $100 million guaranteed. Seeing that the Browns still have him on the final two years of his rookie deal after exercising his fifth-year option earlier this year, he’ll be under contract through the 2026 season. He gets half of that $100 million guaranteed upfront after putting his name on the contract. Andrew Berry, the GM of the Browns, complimented Garrett for sticking around and outlined the thoughts of the franchise.
“One of our fundamental organizational beliefs is identifying young players on our roster and proactively retaining them as part of our present and future core. We go through great lengths to select players whose make-up and performance embody the characteristics we are looking for within our team. Today, we’re delighted that Myles Garrett will be a Cleveland Brown for many years to come.‘'
Garrett finished last season with 29 tackles (20 solo), with 11 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles in the 10 games he played. He is the lone player in the history of the Browns to record multiple seasons with double-digit sacks. While that history under the current iteration of the franchise only goes back to the mid-1990s, the fact remains that he’s alone on the list. Garrett also picked up 13.5 sacks in 2018, giving him back to back campaigns with at least 10 sacks on the board.
In his career, Garrett has played in 37 games, starting 35. In that span, he has picked up 104 tackles (74 solo), in addition to 32 tackles for loss, 30.5 sacks and 65 quarterback hits. He has forced six fumbles, recovered one, and has four pass defenses on the books. Garrett was credited with 29 hurries and 22 knockdowns of the quarterback in the last two seasons.
The agreement on a long-term deal is a win for both sides. Garrett gets financial security by getting $100 million of his deal guaranteed, including the $50 million up front. In addition, it gives him an opportunity to try and rehabilitate his image with the Browns after his incident with Rudolph last season. Finally, it pushes Garrett to the top of the food chain as he becomes the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league by AAV with his $25 million average. That surpassed the $23 million AAV that Khalil Mack of the Bears currently has. His guaranteed money is more than Mack’s $90 million as well.
For the Browns, it keeps a cornerstone of their defense under contract for the long-term. Cleveland had reportedly looked at trying to bring in Jadeveon Clowney but that never panned out. With Garrett under contract long-term and the pay cut that Olivier Vernon took, it pretty much rules Clowney out. His signing also may help the Browns when it comes to negotiations with Nick Chubb and Denzel Ward in the coming seasons. After all, they kept their top player on the defensive side of the ball, so why would other guys want to leave?
We’ll have to see how things pan out but the fact that Garrett is locked down means the Browns have locked in one of the cornerstones of the franchise for the next several years. How they build around him will determine how successful they are.