Star defensive end Myles Garrett has requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns with the hope of better positioning himself to win a Super Bowl, according to a statement he sent to media outlets Monday.

The Browns finished last in the AFC North with a 3-14 record and general manager Andrew Berry had said last week he would not trade Garrett in the offseason, saying he anticipated Garrett going directly from the Browns to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A Browns spokesman said Monday the team is not entertaining trade offers for Garrett.

Garrett is under contract with the Browns for two more seasons under a five-year, $125 million extension he signed in 2020.

“As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl — and that goal fuels me today more than ever,” Garrett said in his statement. “My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today.

“While I’ve loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won’t allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl. With that in mind, I have requested to be traded from the Cleveland Browns.”

Garrett, The Associated Press NFL defensive player of the year last season, is a finalist for the award again. His 14 sacks ranked second in the league, and he became the first player in NFL history to record 14 or more in four consecutive seasons.

During preparations for the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, last week, Berry told reporters he would not trade Garrett even if a team were to offer two first-round draft picks.

“We feel really good about Myles obviously as a big piece of our future,” Berry said. “We’re looking forward to him being on the field. Like I said in my (early January) press conference, we envision him going from Cleveland to Canton when his career is over.”

Kupp says the Rams intend to trade him

Receiver Cooper Kupp says the Los Angeles Rams are attempting to trade him after eight seasons with the club, and he doesn’t like the move.

The Super Bowl 56 MVP made the announcement on social media Monday, saying the Rams told him they “will be seeking a trade immediately and will be working with me and my family to find the right place to continue competing for championships.”

The 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year essentially bade farewell to the city where he has spent his entire career.

“I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA,” Kupp wrote. “Still, if there’s one thing that I have learned over the years: there are so many things that are out of your control, but it is how you respond to these things that you will look back on and remember.”

Kupp’s future with the Rams was an obvious question mark because he is signed for the next two seasons as part of the three-year, $80.1 million contract extension he received after having one of the greatest seasons by a receiver in NFL history in 2021-22. He would have taken up nearly $30 million in cap space next season, but the Rams could clear a large chunk of that by releasing or trading him with a post-June 1 designation.

Saints helped Catholic Church address scandal

The Archdiocese of New Orleans was facing a crisis. A sex-abuse scandal was bursting into public view, sending shock waves through the heavily Catholic city.

Leaders of one of New Orleans’ other major institutions, the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, were concerned. Gayle Benson, the team’s owner, is a devout Catholic, major church benefactor and close friend of Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

So in July 2018, when Greg Bensel, the Saints’ head of communications, saw a local news story revealing that a former deacon who had been removed from the ministry after abuse accusations was serving in a public role at a local church, he sent an email to Benson.

“The issues that the Archbishop has to deal with that never involve him,” Bensel wrote.

In reply, Benson said the archbishop was “very upset.” Then, Bensel made a suggestion: He offered to lend his “crisis communications” expertise, gathered from his decades of working for the Saints, to the archdiocese.

Benson thanked him and said she would share his offer with Aymond.

That exchange was the first of more than 300 emails, obtained by The New York Times, that show the Saints and the archdiocese working together to temper the fallout from a flood of sexual abuse accusations made against priests and church employees.

Aymond, who has served in New Orleans for most of his career, has led the archdiocese since 2009. The archbishop also has a long history with the Benson family, riding on Mardi Gras floats with Benson and serving as a witness on the will of her husband, Tom.

Briefly

Commanders >> Washington Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris said Monday the team name is not changing.

Jaguars >> Pro Football Hall of Fame left tackle Tony Boselli, the first draft pick in the history of the Jacksonville Jaguars, has been hired as the franchise’s executive vice president of football operations.

Texans >> Houston is hiring Los Angeles Rams assistant Nick Caley as its offensive coordinator, a source familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Monday.

Ravens >> Todd Monken signed a contract extension to remain Baltimore’s offensive coordinator, the team announced Monday. The Ravens didn’t announce the length of Monken’s deal.