The Cleveland Browns are in a very unenviable position at the moment. They just went 3-14, they seem undecided on what to do at quarterback and their best player just requested a trade.
It has been a mind-numbingly bad season for the Browns, who are just one year removed from winning 11 games and making the playoffs.
But it's beginning to look like that hopeful 2023 campaign was a bit of a fluke, and Cleveland may need to accept that harsh reality moving forward.
Following Garrett's very public trade demand, there is still a large number of Browns fans who want the team to proceed as currently constructed and go for another run next season. That would mean keeping the 29-year-old Garrett, who is clearly disenchanted with the way thing are going in Cleveland.
Here's the question Browns fans need to ask themselves, though: do you genuinely see a path to Super Bowl contention over the next couple of seasons?
That's what Garrett fans: to compete for a championship. Cleveland certainly did not offer that to him in 2024, and barring some unforeseen miracle, it won't provide that opportunity to the six-time Pro Bowler next year, either.
The Browns need a lot of help. It isn't just the quarterback position. They need a running back. They need more receivers. They need to retool their offensive line. Even their defense, which ranked No. 1 in the NFL in 2023, has sprung a bunch of leaks.
By the time Cleveland is actually ready to seriously contend, Garrett will be well into his 30s, and he will almost certainly be on the decline. Heck, a legitimate argument can be made that a downturn could potentially happen as soon as next season.
So why not just bite the bullet now? Trade Garrett for extensive draft capital and possibly another young player and start a rebuild.
Garrett isn't a franchise quarterback. He's not Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson. He isn't untouchable, nor would the Browns be eternally screwed if they moved him.
Cleveland could absolutely pave a very bright road ahead by trading Garrett in a blockbuster deal. Isn't that what the Houston Texans did when they dealt Deshaun Watson to the Browns?
Sore subject, I know, and the one-to-one comparison of Garrett to Watson certainly isn't entirely accurate due to all of the extenuating circumstances that surrounded Watson before the Texans traded him. But remember: Watson asked out of Houston before all of the off-the-field stuff even surfaced, so he was probably getting traded regardless.
The key takeaway there is that the Texans accumulated a ton of draft picks in exchange for Watson and used them to build the contender they boast now. Who is to say that Cleveland can't do the same thing with Garrett?
This idea that the Browns have to hold onto Garrett is silly. It's understandable given the emotional attachment fans have to their favorite player, but it's not practical.
Outside of a couple of select names (like Mahomes and Jackson), no player in the NFL is immovable. I mean, even the Baltimore Ravens would probably listen if a team approached them and offered a seemingly endless supply of first-round picks for Jackson.
So this idea that Cleveland can't trade Garrett, that Garrett is untouchable, that the world will come crumbling down if the Browns deal Garrett is not foundationally sound.
Let's be honest: Cleveland has only made two playoff appearances in eight years with Garrett. It's not like the franchise took a gigantic step forward after drafting him.
The Browns would be wise to honor Garrett's trade request and start fresh, as hard as it may be for the Cleveland faithful to digest.
