It has been almost 4 months since Todd Monken was hired. He and Myles Garrett still have not met. And now one of the most prominent voices in the national media is ranking the situation among the biggest unresolved storylines in the entire NFL.
Rich Eisen listed the Garrett question as his number two burning question still remaining in the league heading into the summer, and the details he highlighted reveal that there is more beneath the surface of this story than the Browns or anyone close to the situation has publicly acknowledged.
“No. 2 of the NFL burning questions still remaining is: What is up with Myles Garrett in Cleveland? We pushed a payment to him deep into the summer. There’s nothing to see here. He still hasn’t met with the new head coach yet,” Eisen said.
To understand the payment detail Eisen is referencing, you have to go back to March. The Browns and Garrett agreed to modified language on his contract. Garrett’s contract previously called for his option bonuses in 2026, 2027, and 2028 to be exercised by the 15th day of the league year. Under the amended terms, that date was pushed back to seven days before the regular season each year. The payment of the option bonuses was also modified in a way that benefits Garrett financially, and $8 million of his base salary in 2029 and 2030 was moved into roster bonuses early in each league year. The modifications gave Cleveland more flexibility to create cap space annually while giving Garrett better terms on his option payments.
That is not a routine transaction. That is a financial arrangement that ties a significant payment trigger directly to Garrett being on the roster before the season begins, which creates its own set of questions about the nature of the relationship between the player and the organization heading into 2026.
It is also worth remembering that the four-year extension Garrett signed last March came after he had requested a trade out of Cleveland in February of that year. The trade request was resolved, the extension was signed, the Defensive Player of the Year award was won after Garrett set the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23, and by all appearances the relationship was repaired. But contract restructures that push payment deadlines to the week before the season and a star player who has still not met his new head coach despite OTAs being underway are details that combine to paint a picture that Eisen is right to flag as a burning question.
Mandatory minicamp is the line. If Garrett is there, the conversation goes away. If he is not, Eisen’s burning question becomes the biggest story in Cleveland sports. And given the history between Garrett and this organization, nobody should be dismissing that possibility until the proof shows otherwise.
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