The Cleveland Browns currently sit with over $21 million in cap space. The catch, though, was tied to their defensive end and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, and his option bonus that was due this month. That payment, however, has now been pushed back by several months.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Browns and Garrett agreed to modify the language in his contract on Tuesday. Under the previous structure, Cleveland had to exercise Garrett’s option bonuses for 2026, 2027, and 2028 by the 15th day of each league year. In 2026, that date fell on March 25.

Now, that timeline has shifted. The new agreement moves the deadline to seven days before each regular season. So in practical terms, Garrett will wait roughly six more months to receive his 2026 option bonus. At the same time, the structure of those payments has also been adjusted in a way that benefits him financially, per Yates.

For a broader context, Garrett signed a four-year extension last year through 2030, averaging $40 million per year. Under the original terms, he was set to receive $10 million this year, $13 million in 2027, and $7 million in 2028, within a month of the option being exercised in March.

That payment window is now tied to the new timeline, just before each regular season. In addition, $8 million from his $30 million base salaries in both 2029 and 2030 has been converted into roster bonuses early in those league years.

The momentum took place amid the reports that the Browns have struggled to fully win over their defensive star since hiring Todd Monken and passing on former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz for the head coaching role.

Soon after the hire, Myles Garrett posted an image on social media showing a worker with his head down, appearing frustrated. Many took that as a reflection of how he felt about the decision. Not long after that, Benjamin Allbright added on X:

“I mean, in fairness, the team hasn’t been able to get ahold of Myles since the Monken/not Schwartz hire.”

Taken together, it points to Garrett’s disappointment with how things unfolded. It is also worth noting that Schwartz, under whom Garrett recorded 23 sacks, 60 tackles, and three forced fumbles, is no longer with the team.

Still, Garrett is coming off another dominant season. The only complication amid all this, however, is that trade speculation has been building for a while. While his new contract structure could slow that down, the combination of the restructure and his no-trade clause means the conversation around a potential move is not going away anytime soon.

Noise around Myles Garrett’s trade persists

“I’m committed to winning, and as long as the team is doing so and they’re committed to that same thing, then I’m all on board. But if we’re thinking anything other than winning — tanking or rebuilding, that’s not me.” Myles Garrett had already made his stance clear on playing with the Browns as long as the priority is winning.

But that didn’t shut down the trade rumors. In fact, the former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum proposed a scenario where Cleveland trades Garrett to the Detroit Lions. Per his prediction, the Browns acquire first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 along with Jameson Williams.

And while that didn’t materialize at that time, things have shifted slightly now. Garrett’s recent contract modification has brought the conversation back into focus. Per Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, the new structure makes a potential trade more manageable from a financial standpoint.

“If Garrett had his option picked up today (or they had to restructure his contract to get the low cap charge he currently has) the cost to trade him on the cap would have been $70.3M on a trade during the draft and $21.4M for 2026 and $48.69M in 2027 if traded in the summer,” Fitzgerald wrote.

“The acquiring team would only be responsible for $2.3 to $3,3 million in salary for the year. With the delay the cost to trade during the draft is $41.1M and the cost in the summer would be $15.34M in 2026 and $25.6M in 2027. The acquiring team would be on the hook for $31.5 to $32.5M in salary and the Browns owe nothing. A similar situation exists next year where with the delay the trade cost is $48.9M during the draft and a $17.8/$31.1M split between 2027 and 2028 if traded in the summer.”

So when you break it down, nothing is concrete, and there are still clear barriers. Garrett has a no-trade clause, and Cleveland has shown no urgency to move him. But the updated contract terms have at least reopened the conversation. It has put trade speculation back on the table without making anything imminent.