As recently as this past weekend, multiple Cleveland Browns reporters suggested that there is at least a chance that the club will trade star pass-rusher Myles Garrett at some point between June 2 and the start of training camp practices in late July.
On Tuesday, Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand mentioned that general manager Andrew Berry could offer a big hint about Garrett’s short-term future during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on the night of April 23.
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“If the Browns cross up everyone and select pass-rushers David Bailey of Texas Tech or [Rueben Bain Jr.] of Miami, rest assured, Garrett will be traded on June 2,” Grossi wrote.
The Browns currently hold the sixth overall pick of the draft. For mock drafts posted on Wednesday, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Dane Brugler of The Athletic predicted that Bailey will be off the board before Cleveland is called to spend choice No. 6. It’s unknown if Berry would be willing to move up to grab Bailey, who could go to the New York Jets at pick No. 2.
As for Bain, it appears his draft stock won’t be impacted by the fact that it was recently learned he was involved in a fatal vehicular crash when he was a sophomore in March 2024.
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Garrett and the Browns recently agreed to change when option bonuses attached to his contract will be paid out, which has some believing that he has played his final game as a member of the organization. Before he signed a four-year, $160M extension last offseason, he made it known that he wanted to feature for a contender.
Meanwhile, Grossi teased that Garrett could be with the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers or Seattle Seahawks by the time August begins.
“The smoke of a post-June 1 trade won’t go away,” Grossi added about Garrett. “…Contrary to what you’ve read or heard, find me a direct quote in a transcript or sound byte in 2026 – not in 2025 – in which (team owner) Jimmy Haslam or Andrew Berry says, ‘We’re not trading Myles Garrett.’ Not from an anonymous team source. From Haslam or Berry.”
Earlier this spring, Haslam said that “Myles is an integral part of what we do at the Cleveland Browns.” However, Haslam did not use the exact phrase shared by Grossi.