The Cleveland Browns quietly restructured Myles Garrett's contract in late March, a series of complex modifications that shifted payment timing, added voiding years and cut the two-time Defensive Player of the Year's salary cap numbers by tens of millions of dollars in the final years of his deal.
The changes have raised a direct question: are the Browns setting the table to trade him?
The most notable structural change moved key option deadlines from mid-March each year to seven days before the start of the regular season in 2026, 2027 and 2028. The 2026 deadline shifted from March 25 to September 2. The practical effect is that large option bonus payments, which previously came due in late April, are now delayed until late October or early November, easing the immediate financial burden on the team in any given offseason.
Payment totals were also reshuffled. Garrett's first installment for 2026 increases from $10 million to $12 million, with $2 million moved from a later payment. Similar shifts occur in 2027, where the initial payment jumps from $13 million to $15 million, and in 2028, where the first installment rises from $7 million to $9 million.
Two additional dummy and voiding contract years were added for 2034 and 2035. Triggering the 2034 year requires a $20 million option bonus payment, which reduces Garrett's 2029 base salary from $30 million to $10 million. Activating the 2035 year costs $15 million and drops his 2030 base to $15 million. Both deadlines fall seven days before the start of those respective regular seasons. Additionally, $8 million roster bonuses were inserted for both 2029 and 2030, replacing base salary dollar-for-dollar but payable within 30 days of being earned.
The cap math is significant. Garrett's 2029 salary cap number drops by $15 million under the new structure. His 2030 number falls by another $8 million. Together, that is $23 million in cap relief across the final two real years of his contract.
None of these changes accelerate Garrett's actual cash payments. According to CBS Sports, he does not receive money any sooner since option bonuses are spread over 36 weeks like his base salary.
The modifications were made in the latter part of March, before the original April 24 deadline for the first option payment would have arrived. Cleveland has not publicly commented on the reason for the restructure, and no trade has been announced. But the structural logic of lowering late-contract cap numbers is consistent with making a long-term deal more attractive to a potential acquiring team.
Garrett is 30 years old and under contract through 2030. He has won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award twice.
