Sources: Myles Garrett, Browns agree to record contract extension
The Cleveland Browns and Myles Garrett have agreed on a record contract extension that averages $40 million per year and includes $123.5 million in guaranteed money, making the star defensive end the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, sources told ESPN.
The Browns announced the four-year extension, which runs through the 2030 season, on Sunday but did not disclose financial terms.
Garrett’s agent, Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports, and Browns general manager Andrew Berry finalized the deal Sunday, according to sources, ending a standoff that started last month when Garrett requested a trade out of Cleveland.
The extension also includes a no-trade clause, according to sources, and re-establishes Garrett’s Hall of Fame trajectory that he referred to as “Cleveland to Canton.”
The sides agreed to the deal two days after reports circulated that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam recently declined a request to meet with Garrett over the trade request and instead referred the four-time All-Pro to Berry.
Both Garrett and the Browns had been dug in on their respective stances — the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year wanted to be traded to a contender, and the organization was adamant that they would not acquiesce to the request.
Garrett officially announced his trade request on Feb. 3, saying in a statement that his “goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl.”
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Garrett had previously mentioned that he did not want to endure another rebuild with the Browns, who are coming off a 3-14 season and hold the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft amid uncertainty at their quarterback position.
Garrett’s deal also eclipses the value of the recent extension signed by Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby, who agreed Wednesday to a three-year, $106.5 million deal that made him the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback at the time.
This past season, Garrett became the first player to record 100 career sacks before his 29th birthday since sacks became an official stat in 1982. He was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year for the 2023 season, and his 14 sacks in 2024 ranked second in the NFL.
The Browns originally selected Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. Since entering the league, Garrett’s 102.5 sacks only trails the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt, who has 108.
ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi contributed to this report.
Check out Nick Bolton’s stats as he signs a 3-year contract to remain with the Chiefs. (0:50)
Linebacker Nick Bolton is re-signing with the Kansas City Chiefs on a three-year, $45 million deal, including $30 million fully guaranteed at signing, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday.
Bolton, 24, started 16 games this past regular season, registering 106 tackles and recording a career-high three sacks. He then started all three games in the postseason, recording 20 tackles.
He joined the Chiefs in 2021 as a second-round draft pick out of Missouri. He became an immediate contributor, starting 12 games as a rookie and finishing with 112 tackles.
Bolton became a full-time starter in 2022, and made 180 tackles, with two sacks and two interceptions in the regular season. His signature play that season was a 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2023, Bolton missed nine games because of a wrist injury but still had a team-high 40 tackles in four postseason games, including 13 in Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVIII win over the San Francisco 49ers.
ESPN’s Adam Teicher contributed to this report.
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Myles Garrett becomes the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at $40 million per year
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) in action during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Jan. 4 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams, file)
Myles Garrett is staying in Cleveland after the Browns gave him a record four-year contract extension that makes the four-time All-Pro edge rusher the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
A person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press that Garrett’s deal includes $122.8 million guaranteed, an average annual salary of $40 million with a total value of $204.8 million. The person spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity because terms weren’t announced.
Garrett, the 2023 AP Defensive Player of the Year, had asked for a trade last month but the Browns were adamant about keeping the 29-year-old star in Cleveland.
Garrett’s contract raises the bar for other non-QBs, including Bengals All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons. Cincinnati already has stated plans to make Chase the highest-paid non-QB in the league.
Garrett, a first-round pick in 2017, had 14 sacks and 22 tackles for loss last season. He has 102 1/2 sacks in his eight seasons with the Browns.
Garrett has only played in three playoff games with Cleveland.
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Browns announce new Myles Garrett deal with statement that glosses over a few things
There are few problems that a gigantic pile of cash can’t solve.
The Browns solved one of their biggest problems on Sunday, with a new contract for recently-disgruntled defensive end Myles Garrett. Now that Garrett is extremely gruntled again, the Browns have announced the extension that puts him under contract through 2030.
From the statement the Browns released:
“Even as the Browns endured struggles during the 2024 season, Garrett still found a high level of success on the field. Not only did he finish the season with 14 sacks — second in the NFL — he also faced a league-high rate of double teams and chip blocks. He was double teamed on a career-high 30 percent of pass rush attempts, but found a way to still apply ample pressure. He totaled a league-high 22 tackles for loss and 84 quarterback hits — the third most in the league.
“Yet, following a disappointing season in which the Browns finished with a 3-14 record, Garrett released a statement on Feb. 3 in which he requested a trade. In that statement, he expressed a desire to win.
“He had conversations with Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry during routine exit interviews following the season which both sides expressed frustrations about the results of the 2024 season as well as aspirations to win. Berry has reiterated his commitment to returning to winning in 2025 and has believed Garrett plays an integral role in achieving that goal.
“With a new extension in place through 2030, Garrett is poised to lead the Browns to those wins and the defense to high levels of success for the foreseeable future.”
The statement glosses over a few things. What did the Browns do to get Garrett to change his mind?
Why does he suddenly think the Browns are poised to win?
Did they say or do anything other than give him a new contract that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history?
The timeline suggests that it was all about the money. Which is fine. Garrett applied pressure, and it worked. Most recently, someone leaked that Garrett asked to meet with owner Jimmy Haslam, and that Haslam declined. That move might have been the thing that closed the deal.
Maybe, in the end, that’s all Garrett wanted. If so, his trade request worked. It forced the Browns back to the table with two years left on his contract, and it gave him one last massive payday before he emerges on the other side of his prime years.
Great players deserve every last dollar. Sometimes, they get it the conventional way. Sometimes, they need to do something a little unconventional.
Either way, problem solved. And gigantic pile of cash surrendered.
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