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All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett requests trade from Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett totaled at least 14 sacks in each of his last four seasons. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI
1 of 5 | Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett totaled at least 14 sacks in each of his last four seasons. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett wants to be traded by the Cleveland Browns, he said in a statement released Monday.

Garrett, a four-time All-Pro selection, signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension with the Browns in 2020. He is to receive a $5 million roster bonus March 16.

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"These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today," Garrett wrote. "While I've loved calling this city my home, 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."

Garrett, 29, totaled 47 combined tackles, a league-high 22 tackles for a loss, 14 sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass defensed over 17 starts this season. He also eclipsed the 100 career sack benchmark during his 2024 campaign.

Garrett totaled at least 10 sacks over each of the last seven seasons. He also is the only player in NFL history to total at least 14 sacks in four-consecutive seasons.

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The six-time Pro Bowl selection entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick by the Browns in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Browns. Since then, the Browns posted a winning record in just two of the last eight seasons. The Browns, who went 0-16 in Garrett's first season, went 3-14 in 2024.

The Browns defense, which allowed the fewest yards in the NFL in 2023, ranked 19th in 2024.

"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," Garrett wrote.

"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."

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