Apart from the QB1 competition in Cleveland, another storyline has taken over the NFL circles. Head coach Todd Monken caught everyone’s attention when he admitted that he hadn’t met the franchise’s most important player, Myles Garrett.

Few NFL insiders found it odd that the defensive end hasn’t yet met the new head coach. However, Browns’ insider, Mary Kay Cabot, cleared the air by addressing this situation.

“I don’t think it means much of anything because when we asked Todd Monken about this way back during the voluntary minicamp in April, he said back then that he and Myles had only exchanged some text messages so far at that point,” said Cabot in conversation with NFL insider, Dave Bacon, on cleveland.com.

Cabot added that it's not surprising that the two haven’t met yet because Myles has been traveling. Garrett has been out of town and has been mostly in Asia, so he hasn’t had the time to meet the new coach. 

Monken was asked during the OTAs last week if he had met Garrett, to which Monken answered, “Myles? No.” However, he explained that Garrett’s absence at the OTAs should be taken lightly, as it’s not compulsory to attend the OTAs.

"Hasn't been a lot. This is voluntary," Monken said last week. "We're making a big deal out of this. We really are. It's voluntary. We have other guys besides Myles that aren't here. I wish they were here. They'll be ready."

Mary Kay Cabot, in her May edition of “Hey Mary”, added that Garrett missed the voluntary organized team activities last year, too, but went on to perform exceptionally well.

Garrett is coming off his single-greatest defensive year in 2025, where he made NFL history by recording 23 sacks in one season. 

Cabot concluded by saying that Garrett will be there for the Browns’ mandatory minicamp, which is coming up in June.

However, rumors still linger about the dynamics between Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns after his contract adjustment earlier this offseason.

Myles Garrett’s Future With the Browns Under Speculation After Contract Rework

According to an ESPN report by Field Yates, the payment for Garrett’s option bonus for 2026-2028 has been moved up from the 15th day of the league year to a week before the regular season’s first game. Garrett also agreed to convert his $8 million base salary to a roster bonus in 2029 and 2030. 

NFL analysts wondered if there was a reason other than the salary cap for Berry to rework Garrett’s contract. The move was speculated to be made to make it easier for the Browns to trade Garrett. 

June 2nd is seen as an important date for salary cap reasons, where there is a small chance of Garrett being traded. However, all eyes are on the mandatory minicamp on June 9th, which will give clarity on Garrett’s future with the Browns.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore