It's beginning to feel like Cleveland Browns fans can't catch a break. After a tumultuous 2024 NFL season, Browns fans were met with even more drama when star pass rusher Myles Garrett demanded a trade to begin the offseason, leaving his outlook with the franchise up in the air.
Although he's been a Cleveland fan favorite for the last eight seasons, Garrett revealed earlier this month that he's tired of playing a losing brand of football. The six-time Pro Bowl defender made it clear that he wants to taste postseason football, which is something he's only done twice since being drafted first overall in 2017.
Even then, each of those playoff appearances were one-and-done runs.
While convincing the defensive playmaker to stick around might not be easy, the NFL just gave the Browns the perfect tool to help keep Garrett in the fold.
Browns News: NFL Announces Salary Cap Increase for 2025
Earlier this week, ESPN insider Dan Graziano reported that the 2025 salary cap will be increasing from $255.4 million to anywhere between $277.5 million and $281.5 million. Money talks in the NFL, and the Browns might now have enough extra cash to convince Garrett not to go anywhere.
The NFL today informed teams that the 2025 per-team salary cap will fall in the range of $277.5 million to $281.5 million, way up from last year's $255.4 million. Cap will have increased by more than $53 million over the last two years.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) February 19, 2025
The Browns are likely breathing a sigh of relief knowing that they could have up to $26.1 million in extra money to play with this offseason. After all, Spotrac listed them as being more than $28.3 million over this year's cap before the news.
It wouldn't be shocking if the Browns attempted to use the additional funds to sign Garrett to a long-term, big-money deal. The former Defensive Player of the Year is eligible for an extension and is due a big pay raise from the $40 million he's owed in the next two seasons.
Garrett has been one of the NFL's top defenders of the last decade, proven by his owning the second-most sacks since 2017 (102.5). He's also racked up 250 solo tackles, 20 forced fumbles, and 17 broken-up passes while earning six Pro Bowl appearances and four All-Pro first-team nods along the way.
Garrett's impressive resume has led to Spotrac projecting his annual market value to be around $34.3 million. While that's a $15 million increase over his 2025 cap hit, it's well worth the price for last season's No. 2-graded exterior defender on Pro Football Focus in terms of pass rushing (92.8) and overall defense (92.3).
If Garrett isn't willing to sign an extension just yet, the Browns can also use the extra cap space to flesh out their roster. Cleveland's failing to look like a playoff contender is a big reason behind the 29-year-old's trade request, so upgrading both sides of the ball to prove management is serious about competing could be enough to convince Garrett to stick around.
While trading Garrett away for a haul might be enticing to some fans, an offseason deal could blow up in the Browns' face. No matter what draft capital they'd get in return, chances are that none of those picks would result in a player who can change the game in an instant like Garrett does each week.
At the end of the day, general manager Andrew Berry must sit down and figure out how he can successfully use his extra money to keep Garrett in town. Failing to do so and losing one of the NFL's best edge rushers would leave the Browns' defense in a dark place for years to come.