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Defensive end Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns continue to insist that all is well with star pass rusher Myles Garrett, the franchise cornerstone who set the single-season NFL sack record last year and has popped up in the news cycle a few times since. He was at the Winter Olympics in Cortina with his girlfriend, gold-medal snowboarder Chloe Kim, and again with her this week at the premiere of the movie, “Michael.” He popped up at the Cavaliers’ playoff opener, too, a win over the Raptors. And Garrett came up in NFL news when ESPN reported that his camp and the Browns had agreed to a contract adjustment that pushes back some bonus option dates.
The one place where Garrett has not been seen this offseason is in Barea, the Browns’ team headquarters. While that’s not entirely unusual–a player of Garrett’s caliber often does not show up at voluntary offseason workouts–there are unusual circumstances here. Mostly, it’s the fact that the Browns have a new head coach, Todd Monken, as well as a new defensive coordinator, Mike Rutenberg.
Despite that, Garrett has not come into the building to get acquainted with the new regime is a bit odd. But on Tuesday, we learned that it got even odder still: Monken has not yet actually spoken with Garrett.
Browns Todd Monken Has Texted Myles Garrett
There have been texts, Monken said. But a text-only relationship is more suitable for a work acquaintance or a relative you want to keep at arm’s length. It’s not exactly what you’d expect for a new coach and his best player, and that’s a concern for the Browns.
Last week, when the Browns opened the first day of their offseason program, Monken downplayed the fact that Garrett was not present. But he added this week, “Myles and I have communicated by text, but I have not spoken to him in person. I can’t speak for (Rutenberg).”
Todd Monken: ‘This Is Voluntary’
Monken went on to explain that, while he is not panicking over Garrett’s absence, he’d prefer it if he were present. Same goes with other Browns veterans who were not on hand, like Jerry Jeudy and Denzel Ward. The more he talked about the absences, the more annoyed Monken sounded–though, again, he was not overreacting.
“It hasn’t been a lot. It’s fine. This is voluntary,” Monken said. “We’re making a big deal out of this. We really are. It’s voluntary. We have other guys besides Myles that aren’t here. I wish they were here. They’ll be ready. We expect them to be ready. And we’ll be fired up when they’re here. …
“I mean, they’ve communicated, OK? Doesn’t mean I like the communication, but it’s voluntary. Like I wish they were all here right. I mean, I’ve said that plenty of times. But every one of them is a Brown and we’re excited that they are.”
Browns Myles Garrett Speculation Persists
And that might well be the bigger issue here, certainly for Garrett and potentially for Ward. The move the Browns made on Garrett’s contract was downplayed by the team, but NFL salary-cap gurus pointed out that there would be no reason for the Browns to make the option adjustments they made other than to facilitate a Garrett trade.
The Browns have insisted that’s not happening. But Garrett’s continued cold shoulder to Monken and the organization has an odd feel to it, and there is speculation that if Garrett is not going to seek a trade soon, he could well be after a raise on his contract. Maybe there is no need to panic, but this situation is strange and getting stranger.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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