WINNING, NOT HIS WALLET, DRIVING GARRETT’S DESIRE TO BE TRADED

I am amazed at the amount of people supposedly “in the know,” as they say, who think that Browns defensive end Myles Garrett’s request to be traded is nothing more than just a contract ploy to get more money.

Huh?

Really?

You’re kidding, right?

Have you not been watching this guy’s body language over the years, especially this season?

Garrett is a throwback, as are many players. He wants to win. He hates losing. And when the losses pile up, as they did in the recently-concluded 3-14 nightmare, he hates it even more. He has, then, hated every season but two — 2020 and 2023, when the Browns made the playoffs  — since he was picked No. 1 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. That’s a lot of hate — disappointment, disgust, sadness and anger — that has built up over the years. In his mind, then, there’s no amount of money that could keep him in Cleveland, especially when, without a quarterback or a plan, and without competent people to carry out the plan if one is ever put together, 2025 will likely be more of the same.

The Browns can dig their heels in and refuse to trade him, but at the same time, Garrett can dig his heels in as well and refuse to report. After all, this is, again, not about money, as he has plenty of it and can afford to stay home. This is about wanting to play in the Super Bowl instead of simply watching it on TV with the rest of us.

The Browns would come out looking pretty bad, for they would be without their best player. Instead of having a beef with Garrett, owner Jimmy Haslam ought to have one with the two wunderkinds running his team, General Manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski, who have combined to screw up this team so badly that Garrett doesn’t want to be part of it.

That should bother ownership — a lot.

And oh, by the way, Haslam just has to be thrilled that, as he tries to drum up support for that domed stadium he wants to build in Brook Park, he and the club are wallowing in more negatively in Super Bowl week, which always reminds fans that the Browns have missed the mark — the big game — again.

Steve King