Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett announced on Monday morning that he h as formally requested a trade from the Browns.

Garrett’s statement (as shared by ESPN’s Ian Rapoport) reads: “As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl – and that goal fuels me today more than ever,” wrote Garrett. “My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today … While I’ve loved calling this city my home,” he continued. “My desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won’t allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl. With that in mind, I have requested to be traded from the Cleveland Browns.”

The 29-year-old Brown was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Browns in the 2017 NFL draft. Over the last eight seasons, Garrett was a four-time first-team All-Pro, a two-time second-team All-Pro, a six-time Pro Bowler, and was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. The defensive end is coming off another excellent season with Cleveland, recording 14 sacks and a career-high 40 solo tackles, and is a finalist for 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.

Garrett signed a five-year, $125 million extension in 2020, and as recently as last week Browns general manager Andrew Berry told reporters at the Pro Bowl that he was not planning on trading Garrett, and was instead aiming to sign him to a contract extension.

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