Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis has a mantra: A person working in America will stay employed so long that his or her talents exceed any problems he or she brings to the table.
On Friday morning’s “Outkick the Coverage” radio show, Travis discussed Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett’s new five-year, $125 million contract extension in the aftermath of the Nov. 14, 2019, brawl with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph.
“Some of the most aggressive reactions were, ‘Oh, the Browns have to release him. There’s no way they can stand by him now,’ and the dude just got the most… I think it’s the most guaranteed money in the history of any player on the defensive side of the ball in all of the NFL,” Travis said. “So, you’re talking about a guy who went from a pariah. Everybody is angry at him, ‘Oh, my God how in the world did you decide to hit somebody in the helmet?’ Remember [Garrett] made the allegation, ‘Oh, well, [Mason Rudolph] said something racist to me, but [Garrett] didn’t make that allegation until he was in the middle of getting his appeal filed.
“All of that process played itself out, and it’s amazing the trajectory that he has covered in the space of…since November…mid-November when he did that to now becoming the highest-paid [defensive] player in the history of the NFL. That is a perfect sign of how much talent matters.”
Garrett’s deal became official Wednesday: He is owed $100 million in guaranteed money and is under contract with the Browns through the 2026 season.
“If you’ve ever questioned the value of a player and how all that matters is his actual talent…Myles Garrett seems to be a pretty good dude overall,” Travis said. “Smart guy. [He] has obviously performed at a high level when he’s been on the field for the Browns. [He] seemed to be playing angry last year.”
Travis was amused by Garrett’s ability to pay his $45,623 fine for hitting Rudolph in the head with his helmet 2,739 more times under the terms of his new contract extension.
The NFL also suspended Garrett indefinitely.
Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated Garrett in February after the suspension forced the first overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft to miss the final six regular-season games of the 2019 season.
Perspective… pic.twitter.com/fXKM0Kg8Dl
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) July 15, 2020
On Friday, Travis admitted he missed watching the Browns-Steelers brawl on live television because he had already turned the game off.
“It was so late in the game, I had already turned off the television,” Travis said. “Like, I turned off the television and then I was rolled over. I was going to go to bed.
“I was taking that Friday off, which is rare because I was down in the Florida Keys and I was going to be doing a wedding. I was marrying two people, a friend of mine Laurie — who used to work with me at Outkick — and her now-husband Bryce. I was about to do their wedding and so I was like, ‘Oh, I want to be rested up. We’ve got to drive down the rest of the way [to] the Florida Keys tomorrow.”
Travis said he eventually turned his television back on after his phone kept going off.
The Browns are scheduled to play the Steelers at Heinz Field on Oct. 18 at Heinz Field.
It will mark the first time Garrett has played the Steelers since the brawl as long as he stays healthy and the season is not delayed because of concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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