Report: New deal discussed for Garrett

Myles Garrett will sign the richest contract in franchise history if all goes as planned.

Myles Garrett, with 30.5 sacks in his first three seasons with the Browns, will sign the richest contract in franchise history before the summer ends if all goes as planned.

Garrett still has two years left on his rookie contract, but the first pick in the 2017 draft and the Browns have begun contract talks, “setting the stage for a potential mega-extension,” according to an ESPN report.

Joe Thomas, a left tackle picked third overall in 2007, signed a seven-year, $84 million contract extension with the Browns in 2011. A new contract for Garrett would likely beat that record-setting deal.

Khalil Mack of the Bears is working on a six-year, $140 million contract. DeMarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys will make $16.9 million in 2020 in the second year of a five-year, $105 million deal. Mack and Lawrence, like Garrett, specialize in rushing the quarterback.

Garrett had 10 sacks in the first seven games last season. He was blanked in games eight and nine and then lost his cool in the 10th game when he ripped the helmet off the head of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and hit Rudolph in the head with it. Garrett was suspended indefinitely by the NFL the next day. The suspension cost him the final six games of 2019, but he was reinstated early in 2020.

The Browns were 1-5 in games in which Garrett had at least one sack and 3-1 in the games in which he had no sacks before his suspension began.

“We do see Myles as a long-term member and pillar in our organization,” General Manager Andrew Berry told 105.7 the Fan Baltimore last month. “Great player, great person. Obviously, he did make a mistake last year that he’s learned from. But our confidence in and faith in Myles has not wavered, and we’re looking to seeing what he does this year and certainly for years to come.”

Garrett apologized for hitting Rudolph, but he accused the Steelers’ quarterback of using a racial slur.

The Browns have had little need to worry about contract extensions in the past, but that might be changing. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, the first pick in the 2018 draft, is entering his third season. The Browns will likely try to extend Mayfield next summer if he plays as well in 2020 as he did when he was a rookie.

Running back Nick Chubb might become a priority this fall. He was a second-round pick in 2018 and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2021 without a new contract.

Denzel Ward, the fourth pick in the 2018 draft, is another player the Browns would like to keep around. The Browns control his rights through 2022.

DAVID RICHARD — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Myles Garrett tries to get past Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth during a 2019game at FirstEnergy Stadium.