Myles Garrett Breaks Silence on Falcons, NFL Trade Rumors

Cleveland Browns Myles Garrett addressed in front of the media Friday the possibility of him finishing this season with another team.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The NFL's 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett might be the crown jewel for the Atlanta Falcons at this year's trade deadline. No player that Atlanta could acquire before Nov. 5 would make bigger immediate impact for the Falcons than Garrett.

But it doesn't sound like the Falcons will have the choice of whether or not to send a king's ransom to Cleveland for Garrett. The defensive end told reporters Friday that he isn't going anyway.

"I'll be playing here," Garrett said in a response to a question on Browns trade rumors.

Just a year after they won 11 games for only the second time since the Atlanta Braves won the World Series ... in 1995 ... the Browns have started this season 1-6. Due to the awful start, the Browns are beginning to feel the ill-effects of acquiring quarterback DeShaun Watson for multiple first-round picks.

Watson has gone 9-10 while missing 22 games because of suspensions and injuries the past two and a half seasons. He will also sit out the rest of 2024 with an Achilles tear.

Potentially looking to start over, the Browns could entertain trade offers for any player. The more talent they give up, the more draft capital they could receive in return to expedite the rebuild.

Garrett, though, could be untouchable. He has been the face of the Browns defense since he arrived in Cleveland as the No. 1 overall pick in 2017. Garrett also doesn't become a free agent until 2027.

As a rookie, Garrett posted 7 sacks in 11 games during 2017. Since then, he's had at least 10 sacks every year and made first-team All-Pro three times. Last season, he won his first Defensive Player of the Year award.

If the Falcons were to acquire Garrett, pundits have speculated that it would cost multiple draft picks and players. Bleacher Report's Alex Kay proposed the Falcons send their 2025 first-round choice, three other picks and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to Cleveland for Garrett.

From the Browns' perspective, that would give the team an extra first-rounder and a potential franchise quarterback. That's a price that could be too high for Atlanta.

But it appears to be a moot point, regardless. Garrett doesn't expect to be changing addresses anytime soon.