Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was already in line for a massive payday. The baseline for that payday was just set by another star defensive end.
Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders agreed to a three-year, $106.5 million extension Wednesday, with $91.5 million guaranteed. The average annual value on four-time Pro Bowler’s deal will be $35.5 million, setting the new bar for non-quarterbacks in the NFL.
It’s also the opening of any conversation for the next contract that Garrett receives. The question is only where the defensive end gets that market-setting deal.
Garrett is under contract with the Browns for two more years. He’s also made a trade demand to the team, but general manager Andrew Berry has said repeatedly he has no interest in honoring that demand.
“I understand the frustration,” Berry said last week at the NFL scouting combine. “We’ve had plenty of dialogue. But ultimately my responsibility is to make the decisions that are best — best for the Browns — and having Myles a part in the organization is a huge piece of that.”
The deal Garrett is on runs through the 2026 season. The 2023 restructuring it went through added five void years from 2027-31.
Garrett has held firm on his desire to move on to a contender, reportedly rejecting any talk of an extension with the Browns. Thus a standoff has developed between the team and its star player that could be weeks away from being resolved.
What does Crosby’s extension, and the market reset it creates, do to impact the impasse between the Browns and Garrett? Could it be the catalyst for a resolution that allows for Garrett to remain with the Browns, albeit with a market-redefining extension?
Garrett’s own words would run counter to that thinking, however.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett looks on against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 29, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“It’s never been about the Hall of Fame for me,” Garrett said on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Feb. 6. “It’s not about money or records. You’re remembered for winning, bringing a trophy back home to your city, whichever city that is. That’s how you’re remembered in your community, by your peers, your teammates, your friends, all of that. We want to play the game, we want to do things to be remembered.”
Which leads to the other path, the one on which the Browns actually go back on their stance and put Garrett on the market. Whatever team ultimately landed Garrett would also be one with which, in all likelihood, he would be willing to sign an extension as well.
The massive extension doesn’t seem like something that would be a new wrinkle to the teams considering a Garrett trade. The starting point, and where the number could climb to, could impact the number of teams involved and potentially what they’re willing to give up to acquire him.
That’s the financial reality of the staredown going on between the two sides. Garrett says money doesn’t matter, only winning; the Browns say they’re prepared to do what it takes to keep him in Cleveland for the rest of his career.
What can Crosby’s contract do to put their money behind those stances? We’re going to find out soon enough.
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Can Maxx Crosby’s deal impact Browns-Myles Garrett impasse: Column
