NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
With all due respect to the great talent of Myles Garrett, I just want him to shut the hell up. He’s mad because the Cleveland Browns lost another game Sunday, but isn’t this what he signed up for, literally?
This past offseason, Garrett went on social media and asked for a trade. Not just asked for a trade but published what appeared to be his Browns obituary online. He stated that he wanted to play for a winning organization, and after a few weeks, he then turned around a resigned with the Browns. Yes, the same team that has had 2 winning seasons since he arrived in 2017.
The NFL world went crazy because, for once, it appeared that a player of his stature actually wanted to win and was willing to put the money to the side to do so. But then Garrett showed us and the Cleveland Browns what was more important.
There is no way in hell Myles Garrett looked at this Browns roster and said, We got what it takes. The QB situation was awful, and that was before the NFL Draft. Hell, it did not get any better with the Browns selecting not one but two rookie QBs. The Browns then decided to let RB Nick Chubb walk and hand the keys over to a 40-year-old QB.
Some in the media are speculating that the Browns’ front office used Flacco to lure Garrett back in. Remember, it was the magic of Flacco in 2023 that helped propel the Browns into their last playoff appearance. But why would Garttert play that game again? He had to know that Flacco was on his last leg, hell, even that season was a bit of a magical run. But Garrett had to know that the writing was on the wall for this team.
Garrett was one of those players whom every NFL fan felt pity for. Like he was trapped in a bad situation in Cleveland, and while we wished he would leave or get traded, we were relieved when he asked for one. Now we would get to see what he could do on a team with Super Bowl aspirations every year instead of fighting for NFL Draft order. With his moves and quotes, those feeling sorry for him days are over. He gets what he deserves. You wanted this, and now you have to stay in your place.
Not only did he rob himself of a chance to play for a contending team like he said he wanted, but he also robbed the Browns of adding pieces to the team. If I were the Browns, of course, I would have thrown him money. Maybe they figured he would turn down a lucrative deal, and they would be forced to trade him and could save face and go to the public and say they tried everything to change his mind. I really believe the Browns thought he was serious.
Let’s say that it was a moment where he felt regret and pain and let his frustration out on social media. What’s any different than what Tyreek Hill did with the Miami Dolphins? Players have done this before, but to say you want to move on to a winning organization, and then turn around and act as if that never happened due to the amount of zeros on a check, there is no way winning was that important.
As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl — and that goal fuels me today more than ever,” Garrett said in a Feb. 3 statement when he requested his trade from the Browns. “My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today.
“While I’ve loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won’t allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl.
“With that in mind, I have requested to be traded from the Cleveland Browns.”
Myles Garrett was coming off a 5-sack game and showed his frustration. But was he the right one to display it? No. Sir, you are a defense force, but you are not a team player like you’re putting on. Slamming helmets is cool and all, but how about you give back some of those coins so they can go and get better players? But oh wait, who wants to be in Cleveland besides you? That’s even if Garrett really wants to be there.
Following his great game Sunday, Garrett addressed the media and said:
“It doesn’t get any easier each week you ask me,” Garrett said regarding the team’s inability to create an offense conducive to winning football games.
“I would throw the whole performance away for a win,”
These are the words that a leader should be speaking. However, coming from Garrett, no one knows how to take this. Losing sucks, and maybe he is tired of it. Maybe he will head back to social media and request another trade before the deadline or when the season ends. Because the truth is, change is not coming fast enough. Garrett is getting up there in years, and the Browns may be wasting his prime, and he has to know this. But to publicly shame your team when you had the chance to depart, that’s pure foolishness.
There will be those who side with him and his actions. Not here to judge you. Just here to state what came out of his mouth and how he made it seem like it was always about the wins when, in fact, he was lying to the public and, most importantly, lying to the Cleveland Browns just to get more money.
