The Cleveland Browns and star defensive end Myles Garrett have agreed to amended language in his contract that was finalized Tuesday, and league sources say the move is designed to give Cleveland more salary-cap flexibility — not to facilitate a trade. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, reported the Browns are not shopping Garrett and that the revision was a cap-management change.
Under the previous terms of Garrett’s extension, the Browns were required to exercise option bonuses for 2026, 2027 and 2028 by the 15th day of the league year — which would fall on March 25, 2026. The amended agreement pushes that exercise deadline back to seven days before the regular season in each of those years, and the timing and structure of option-bonus payments were altered in a manner that provides benefit to Garrett, according to league sources.
The new language also shifts $8 million of Garrett’s base salary in both 2029 and 2030 into roster bonuses that are payable early each league year. That change gives Cleveland additional levers to create cap space during the offseason and allows the team to better manage its payroll spikes; the roster-bonus structure and delayed option deadlines effectively spread or alter when cap charges hit the books. League sources emphasized the changes were mutually agreed and are intended to balance the club’s need for flexibility with Garrett’s compensation protections.
Garrett, who agreed to a four-year extension with the Browns last March after a public standoff that began with a trade request the prior February, remains under contract through the length of that extension. The revised terms make it clear the franchise intends to keep its premier pass rusher on the roster, rather than packaging him in a move to clear immediate cap space.
The timing of the amendment follows a banner season for Garrett. He won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award last month after setting the single-season sack record with 23, and he also captured the award in 2023 after leading the league with 33 tackles for loss. Garrett is the ninth player in NFL history to win multiple Defensive Player of the Year honors and the only active player to have done so.
For the Browns, retaining Garrett while reshaping the contract addresses a central financial challenge: how to hold on to elite talent under a rising salary cap environment and the team’s own roster-building priorities. For Garrett, league sources say the payment changes and the delayed option-exercise dates give him improved protections and potentially more favorable timing for receiving key compensation elements.
The agreement closes a chapter that began last February and signals stability for Cleveland’s front line heading into the upcoming season. With Garrett staying in Cleveland under the revised terms, the Browns keep one of the game’s most disruptive defenders as they plan roster moves and cap strategy over the next several years.