Myles Garrett breaks silence on Falcons, NFL Trade rumors

Myles Garrett, the NFL’s 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, could be the crown jewel for the Atlanta Falcons at this year’s trade deadline. No player Atlanta could acquire before Nov. 5 would have a bigger immediate impact on the Falcons than Garrett.

But it doesn’t appear the Falcons will have a choice as to whether or not to send a king’s ransom to Cleveland for Garrett. The defensive end told reporters Friday that he isn’t going after all.

“I’m going to play here,” Garrett said in response to a question about the Brown trade rumors.

Just a year after winning 11 games for the second time since the Atlanta Braves won the World Series… in 1995… the Browns are off to a 1-6 start this season. Due to the terrible start, the Browns are starting to feel the ill effects of acquiring quarterback DeShaun Watson for multiple first-round picks.

Watson went 9-10 while missing 22 games over the past two and a half seasons due to suspensions and injuries. He will also sit out the rest of 2024 with an Achilles tendon.

The Browns would potentially want to start over and could receive trade offers for any player. The more talent they give up, the more draft capital they can receive in return to speed up rebuilding.

However, Garrett could be untouchable. He has been the face of the Browns defense since arriving in Cleveland as the No. 1 overall pick in 2017. Garrett won’t become a free agent until 2027.

As a rookie in 2017, Garrett posted seven sacks in 11 games. He has had at least 10 sacks every year since and was a three-time first-team All-Pro. Last season he won his first Defensive Player of the Year award.

If the Falcons were to acquire Garrett, experts have speculated it would cost multiple draft picks and players. Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay suggested the Falcons use their 2025 first-round pick, three other picks and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. would send to Cleveland for Garrett.

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

But it seems to be a moot point anyway. Garrett doesn’t expect to change his address anytime soon.