Myles Garrett cap hit: A look into Browns’ star’s contract situation amid trade rumors

Myles Garrett has been one of the best overall edge players in the entire NFL during his career with the Cleveland Browns. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the past five seasons and as a First-Team All-Pro in four of them with a Defensive Player of the Year award as well.

The Browns superstar requested to be traded during the 2025 NFL offseason. He wants to be a part of a team competing for a Super Bowl, suggesting that the Browns aren't in a position to do so in 2025.

Garrett has two years remaining on his current contract with Cleveland as he enters his age-30 season. He carries a massive cap hit of $19.7 million in 2025, which increases even higher to $20.4 million next year, according to Spotrac.

If the Browns were to trade Garrett before June 1st, it would come with significant salary cap penalties. They would lose over $16 million against the salary cap and carry more than $36 million in dead cap money this year.

This makes it highly unlikely that they would do so, though waiting until after this date is much more realistic.

Myles Garrett's contract situation if traded post-June 1st in 2025 NFL offseason

Myles Garrett

The Cleveland Browns have yet to announce if they will trade away Myles Garrett during the offseason. If they do honor his request, his salary cap implications suggest that they will wait until at least June to do so.

Waiting to trade him until the summer drastically decreases the overall financial penalties they would face this year. This will allow them to spread the dead cap money over the next two seasons, saving them money against the current year's salary cap. Spotrac estimates that selling him after June 1st would free up approximately $5 million in cap space for the coming season.

The Browns had an extremely disappointing season last year and quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered an injury that is likely to force him out for most or all of the upcoming season.

This could spark a rebuilding phase for the franchise, so allowing Garrett the trade he is seeking could be mutually beneficial. He could theoretically join a contender while giving the Browns some building blocks for the future in a potential trade.