Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett turned heads Sunday when he opted to remain in Cleveland on a record-setting four-year contract extension worth $40 million per year with $123.5 million guaranteed. The new extension was a surprise since it came just over a month after Garrett requested a trade from the Browns as he looked to play for a winning team.
Instead of continuing to push for a trade, Garrett opted to return to Cleveland. Garrett's agent, Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports, detailed that the return was spurred by a "change of heart" from Garrett.
“[Browns GM] Andrew Berry and I spent the last 36 hours getting the deal done, basically,” Garrett’s agent, Nicole Lynn, said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Myles had a change of heart and he’s excited to go from Cleveland to Canton and chase a championship in Ohio."
Garrett agreeing to return to the Browns so soon in the offseason was also a surprise, as he could have pushed longer to try and get a trade done. Lynn explained that Garrett was motivated to help the team with free agency, which led to him quickly agreeing to a new deal with the Browns. The NFL's legal tampering period begins Monday, and free agency officially starts on Wednesday.
“When he made that decision, he said ‘I want to get this done before free agency so I can start recruiting free agents, so I can help the team.’" Lynn said, via Cabot. "And I said ‘alright, we have 24 hours to get this done’ and we did it."
The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year is now back with the Browns as the highest-paid defensive player of the league, and will look to turn Cleveland around after they finished a disappointing 3-14 in 2024. The 29-year-old is locked in with the Browns through the 2030 season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Myles Garrett's Agent Explains Why He Changed His Mind About Returning to Browns.
