Steelers' AFC North Rival Browns' Recent Decision Could Completely Change Everything In The Division

The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting set to host the 2026 NFL Draft and looking to fill out their roster after a strong free agency period. The team has received some great praise for the additions made during the 2026 offseason considering how proactive it was in plugging holes on the roster, whether it be needs that it lacked in 2025 or from players that departed in free agency. Now the franchise's AFC North division rival may be making a move that would send shockwaves through the NFL.

It was recently mentioned that the Cleveland Browns may end up trading their star defensive end Myles Garrett. On Friday's edition of the Deebo and Joe podcast, former Steelers linebacker James Harrison floated the idea of Garrett being traded by Cleveland. 

During the show, Harrison played a clip of Garrett in 2017 mentioning Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones where he said "I'd love to play in Dallas." While the clip is older, Harrison mentioned that he believes the comments from Garrett are still relevant.

"The only reason [Myles] Garrett would be okay with not earning that lump sum immediately is if he could be traded to a contender this offseason," Harrison noted.

What Harrison is referencing is the Browns recently adjusted portions of Garrett's contract. While some may now view Dallas as a contender, if Cleveland were to make Garrett available, it would be receiving tons of calls on him to try to make a deal happen. Garrett is an instant game-changer on defense and would be a highly sought after trade target immediately if Cleveland and General Manager Andrew Berry would open up that possibility.

In 2025, Garrett broke the single-season NFL sack record as he recorded 23 sacks on the year. The previous record of 22.5 was jointly held by Pittsburgh's TJ Watt and former New York Giants pass rusher Michael Strahan. Considering the past battles with Garrett on the field, Pittsburgh surely would be happy to see Garrett traded away especially because it would not have to deal with facing him twice each season.

Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Cleveland in March 2025, keeping him under contract through the 2030 season. This would allow any potential trade suitor to have a game-altering pass rusher for the next five seasons if they would be able to muster up enough in a deal. This deal also made Garrett the highest-paid non-quarterback at the time the extension was worked out.

Steelers Division Rival Adamant They Are Not Trading Garrett

While Harrison believes Garrett's comments almost a decade are relevant, one NFL insider may have debunked this theory with his appearance on NFL Network on Friday. While some think the adjustments made to Garrett's contract are a hint that a trade is coming, Mike Garafolo mentioned on Good Morning Football that the team is "adamant" it is not going to trade the NFL's new single-season sack leader. 

While it may be true Cleveland does not want to trade Garrett, sometimes the right price can sway teams in the NFL. Garrett is a generational player, as is Watt, and a trade for him would see a huge haul in return heading back to Cleveland. Another aspect to the situation is that Cleveland had a great defense in 2025, but it just struggled on offense significantly. While trading Garrett would take away from Cleveland's defense, it still have great pieces around the rest of the unit.

Even if Garafolo's report is true about the situation surrounding Garrett in Cleveland, the timing of the adjustment to his contract still allows the team almost a full month before the NFL Draft to make a trade should its feelings surrounding the idea change. 

If it were to happen, it would create quite a buzz around the draft which is ironically being hosted by the Browns divisional foe. Several contenders could make the call to Cleveland if they feel Garrett would transcend their defense and they have the assets available to depart with that would get the deal done.

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