Jimmy Haslam declines Myles Garrett’s request to talk; directs Garrett to GM Andrew Berry

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns owner Jimmy Haslam recently declined Myles Garrett’s request to talk to him about his trade request, telling Garrett to talk to GM Andrew Berry instead, a league source told cleveland.com

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was first with Garrett’s request to speak with Haslam.

Haslam is adamant that Garrett needs to speak with Berry, who’s running the team and in charge of such matters. The Browns are aligned on their stance that they won’t trade their future Hall of Famer and 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Garrett requested a trade from the Browns Feb. 3 in a statement provided to cleveland.com and several other outlets, stating that he wants to go elsewhere to win a Super Bowl.

Berry told cleveland.com and two other Browns beat writers at the Senior Bowl in late January before the request dropped that he wouldn’t trade Garrett, not even for two first-round picks.

Berry held firm to that stance at the NFL Combine last week, and a source told cleveland.com that Garrett is “not open to” an extension.

Garrett, a four-time first-team All-Pro, also said on Super Bowl Sunday that he’ll do “whatever it takes” to get the Browns to trade him. He’s prepared to miss games to get his wish.

Haslam redirecting Garrett to Berry, with whom Garrett spoke after the season in his exit meetings, is not an indication that the Browns have soured on Garrett or are harboring animosity. It’s a show of solidarity by an organization that has a plan for getting back to winning this season, one that includes re-signing their star defender to a blockbuster extension that would make him one of the highest paid defenders in the NFL.

The Browns also plan to add a winning quarterback who can get them closer to their 11-6 season of 2023 after they tumbled to 3-14 last season. The biggest problem has been the failed trade for Deshaun Watson, who started only 19 of 51 games over the past three seasons because of his suspension and two season-ending injuries.

News of Garrett’s request to speak with Haslam comes a day after the Bengals gave star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season, permission to seek a trade.

Berry, who was adamant at the Senior Bowl that he wouldn’t trade Garrett, so much so that he said “you can put that on the record,” doubled down on that sentiment at the NFL Combine during his podium interview, noting that he wouldn’t engage in trade talks for him there.

“I wouldn’t really touch on any conversations that I have with other teams, just respectfully,” Berry said. “I don’t think that’s appropriate just for current and future business, but it’s irrelevant to this situation because we’re not interested in trading Myles.”

While Garrett and his camp, led by his agent Nicole Lynn, president of Klutch Sports' football division, have dug in their heels on the trade demand, Berry has been equally adamant that he’s not moving Garrett.

“Myles, as you guys have all heard me say, he’s a huge part of our organization, really good person, he’s an awesome player,” Berry said at the Combine. “I understand the trade request and everything, but our stance really has not changed. We can’t imagine a situation where not having Myles as a part of the organization is best for the Browns.”

Is there any offer he wouldn’t be able to refuse?

“It would go to what I said before, where we don’t have an interest in trading Myles,” Berry said. “He’s a big part of our team.”

Kevin Stefanski echoed Berry’s sentiments at the Combine last week, stating that he expects Garrett to remain a Brown.

“Not impacting my plans,” Stefanski said during his NFL Combine podium interview on Wednesday. “As you know, I think the world of Myles, I understand the business of football and I understand these things happen from time to time. But I expect Myles on our team this year, next year, the year after that and so on. He’s part of the present, he’s part of the future.”

He also stressed that their goals for contending are the same.

“I also want to win,” Stefanski said during his NFL Combine podium interview on Wednesday. “I also want to win a championship. That’s just how we’re wired and we’re working very hard towards that goal.”

In his trade request statement, Garrett stressed that he doesn’t believe the Browns are poised to win this season.

“ … 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,” he wrote. “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.”

He told Rich Eisen on radio row at the Super Bowl, where he conducted a national media blitz, that it’s not about the money.

“It’s not a decision I take lightly,” Garrett said. “It took time and lots of conversation, but just looking at the trajectory of the team, talking to some of the higher-ups … I have a lot of respect for them, but I just don’t think we’re aligned on where the team is going in the near future. I feel like the window for us as athletes is only so broad and only continues to close as years go by with anything being able to happen on that field from day to day. I want to be able to go out there and compete at the highest levels, day in and day out, and play for championships, like I said.”

Garrett’s request has hit a lot of teammates hard, including Denzel Ward, who told cleveland.com at the Super Bowl that he’ll question the Browns’ commitment to winning this season and his own situation if the Browns trade Garrett. Ward, like many other players, believe the Browns are a good quarterback away from getting back on track.

News of Haslam’s refusal also comes two days after the Browns announced that seven-time Pro Bowler Joel Bitonio will return for a 12th season, in large part because the Browns have sold him on their plan of attack to try to contend in 2025.

It also comes a day after the Browns restructured Watson’s contract again to get under the salary cap and pave the way to add some veterans in free agency and/or trades beginning next week, with a veteran “bridge” quarterback high on the list of priorities.