REPORT: Browns Legend Warns Myles Garrett Over Trade Demand

Cleveland Browns legend Joe Thomas warned Myles Garrett over his trade demand while also giving the star pass-rusher some perspective on wanting out.

Thomas speaks from experience. He is a Hall of Famer who spent his entire career in Cleveland. Despite being a 10-time Pro Bowler, Thomas never played in a playoff game over his 11 seasons in Cleveland. Despite the lack of team success, Thomas did not regret his decision to stay put in Cleveland and would have shared that with Garrett if asked.

“I would probably share my experience and how I’m so proud that I was able to go into the Hall of Fame after only playing for the Cleveland Browns, and to be forever tied with the city of Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland Browns, that’s special to me,” Thomas told cleveland.com. “That’s something that I’m very proud of, and I never would want to give up.”

“Just what a transition looked like for him,” Garrett said when asked what he spoke to James about. “What was his thought process going into it before he left Cleveland. Just making sure I made a logical decision, taking my time, and trying to take away the pressure of doing something like that. Cleveland, really that area of Northeast Ohio is his home and it feels like my home as well.”

Thomas pointed out that his advice would differ greatly from James’, who left the Cleveland Cavaliers and won a title. James later returned and won a championship with the Cavs.

“You’re talking to the guy who did leave Cleveland and got a championship,” Thomas said. “So of course, he’s going to probably say, ‘Yeah, that was great for me and my career.’ It’s not surprising that maybe LeBron would encourage him to go chase a championship somewhere else.”

Thomas Doesn’t Want Garrett to Regret Leaving Browns
The Browns finished last season 4-13 and were much closer to the top pick than the postseason. Cleveland has played in just two playoff games during Garrett’s eight-year tenure with the team. Garrett wants to compete but there are no guarantees in the NFL. He could engineer a move out of Cleveland and still end up without a ring.

“My concern is that 10-15 years from retirement he’ll wish he would’ve stayed in Cleveland because your career is about relationships and memories that you make,” Thomas said. “Yes, winning is the ultimate goal, and it’s the most important thing, but I guarantee if you sat down with Tom Brady and said ‘Hey, what are the top 10 memories,’ he’d probably mention a few Super Bowls, but he’s probably going to mention the times in the locker room or the times in the community, the laughs that he had with his brothers, the bonds that he built over decades with the same group of guys.”