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Stephen A. Smith isn’t surprised at all by Myles Garrett’s trade request, and he believes the culprit is quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The ESPN analyst supports the trade request by the former Texas A&M star who was the first overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2017. After 8 seasons in Cleveland, it appears that Garrett has had enough and wants to play elsewhere in 2025, citing a desire to win.
Garrett has been a first-team All-Pro selection in 4 of the past 5 seasons, including this past season. He led the NFL with 22 tackles-for-loss and recorded his 7th straight season with at least 10 sacks and his 4th straight with 14+ sacks.
But Garrett, who has 102.5 sacks during his brilliant 8-year career, would like a change of scenery, and in this case a change in the win-loss column. For this, Smith believes the shortcomings of Watson at quarterback are to blame.
“The person that I blame the most, unfortunately, respectfully, is Deshaun Watson,” said Smith on ESPN on Monday. “Had Deshaun Watson gotten to Cleveland and balled the way he showcased how he could ball when he was a Houston Texan, Myles Garrett would not be asking for this trade.”
Watson was a 3-time Pro Bowl selection with the Texans but has not reached that level with the Browns since getting to Cleveland in 2022. The former Clemson star’s time in Cleveland has been hampered by sexual harassment allegations and injuries.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.