At long last, the Myles Garrett trade saga is finally over.
On Sunday morning, Garrett and the Cleveland Browns agreed to a massive four-year contract extension that contains $123 million in guaranteed money. In total, Garrett’s deal is worth over $204 million and his average salary of $40 million per year is the richest ever by a non-quarterback.
However, there is one caveat to Garrett’s contract: it has a no trade clause built into it.
At first glance, a no trade clause seems like it would be good for a Browns organization that spent the last month reaffirming that it would not deal Garrett to another team, despite his wishes. However, the contract condition may actually give Garrett more control in the future.
A no trade clause doesn’t mean that Cleveland could not trade Garrett as long as he’s on the contract. Instead, it just means that the Browns would have to get Garrett’s approval in a deal, giving the edge rusher the power to choose his future destination.
If Garrett eventually changes his mind about staying in Cleveland and wishes to be traded in a year or two, he could have full say over where he goes and what the compensation is. For example, if the Browns received a godfather trade offer from a team like the Giants, Garrett could opt against waiving his no trade clause because he wants to play for a championship contender.
Garrett is now one of eight current NFL players with a no trade clause in their contract, according to Sportskeeda. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott and Josh Allen all have the stipulation in their deals, making Garrett the only non-quarterback.
Regardless of whether the no trade clause could prove to be a problem down the road, the Browns will certainly be happy to get their franchise star back in the building in 2025.