Oh, how the mighty Twitter warriors and sports talk radio critics rejoiced when it was reported that Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam didn’t grant Myles Garrett a meeting amid his trade request. The cries of “same old Browns” rang out from every corner of the internet, and armchair GMs confidently declared that Cleveland’s best player was as good as gone.
Except, of course, that wasn’t the case at all.
Instead of scrambling to set up a tearful sit-down with Garrett over a candlelit dinner, Haslam and Browns GM Andrew Berry opted to let the business side of things play out. And wouldn’t you know it? A few days later, Garrett isn’t just staying in Cleveland—he’s now the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, with a cool $123.5 million guaranteed to keep him tied to the Browns through 2030.
The same fans who were up in arms about Haslam’s supposed negligence are now awkwardly deleting their tweets or pretending they never doubted the process. It turns out that a little patience—and a boatload of cash—can go a long way in professional football. Who knew?
For all the uproar about Haslam’s decision to decline a meeting, it’s clear now that the Browns’ front office had a plan all along. The “no meeting” controversy? That was nothing more than a subplot in the grander scheme of keeping one of the best defensive players in football locked in for the long haul. Haslam didn’t cave to the public pressure of performative urgency; he let Berry and Myles’ agent, Nicole Lynn, handle their business.
So where are the critics now? Probably crafting new narratives about how the contract is too big or how Garrett will never live up to it (even though he’s already a four-time All-Pro and a future Hall of Famer in the making). But one thing is for certain—those who mocked Haslam’s approach have been served a giant plate of crow, and it comes with a side of “Oops, we jumped the gun again.”
Moral of the story: Maybe, just maybe, Haslam and the Browns front office know what they’re doing. Who’d have thought?
Ok that may be a stretch considering their quarterback room.
