The Browns get an offer that they can’t refuse from a team well positioned to land the star pass rusher.
The Cleveland Browns have maintained that they have no intention of trading away Myles Garrett since the star pass rusher went public with his trade request almost two weeks ago. In his most recent comments, Garrett has said he will do whatever it takes to force his way out of Cleveland.
It appears that we are at a standoff in the situation, and things could get a lot uglier as both sides continue to dig their heels in. With a deadline approaching of March 15th for a bonus owed to Garrett, coming to a resolution in the matter could benefit both sides.
It would require a trade offer from a team that could make trading Garrett away more palatable. The situation is complicated by the salary cap ramifications of trading him and the dead cap hit of $36m it would create.
Ideally, the Browns and GM Andrew Berry would want the deal to provide the following:
- Two high-value, first-round picks to guarantee the Browns multiple swings at getting a franchise quarterback.
- Additional draft assets to acquire young talent to replace aging veterans.
- One or two players that Cleveland could utilize in their scheme at minimum salaries.
- Ability to strike a creative deal to help eliminate some of the dead cap hits that would be caused.
Finding a team that could check all of those boxes may be a tall task, but fortunately, Garrett has conceded that ultimately, Cleveland will dictate where he is traded and just hopes that the Browns would try to put him in the best position.
Sending him to a ready-made title-contending team like the Lions or Bills is out of the question in this scenario as their draft picks will likely be at the end of the first rounds over the next two years. The best Garrett could hope for is going to a team that looks ready to turn the corner and become more competitive over the next few seasons.
A team that has already drafted a young quarterback and has a new dynamic head coach would be an ideal fit for Garrett. Teams like the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears really stand out as two possible landing spots.
They each meet the quarterback and head coach criteria and also have significant cap space to make Garrett the highest-paid defender in the league. The team I like most for this scenario is the Bears, as trading him to an NFC team would assure you wouldn’t be playing against him in a future playoff game.
The Bears landed the hottest coaching candidate over the last several off-seasons in Ben Johnson, who is considered the league’s best offensive guru. He will now be tasked with getting the most out of Caleb Williams, who was considered the most talented quarterback to enter the draft since Andrew Luck over a decade ago.
Landing Garrett would be a statement that the Bears could become legit contenders quickly. Garrett would also get to remain in a traditional 4-3 defense playing for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
The following is a suitable trade package that I feel could be realistic for both teams and a win-win for all parties:
Chicago Bears receive:
DE Myles Garrett
CB Greg Newsome
2025 4th-rd pick-103rd overall
2025 6th-rd pick- 181st overall
Cleveland Browns receive:
2025 1st-rd pick – 10th overall
2026 1st-rd pick
2025 2nd-rd pick – 41st overall
OT- Kiran Amegadjie
WR- Tyler Scott
Now, let’s break this down a bit further. Including Newsome in the deal helps clear $13m of the negative $16m in cap space caused by trading Garrett.
The Browns are guaranteeing themselves a top-ten pick in the haul and are hedging that there is a chance that it takes Chicago a year to turn their program into a contender. While the 2026 pick may land more in the middle of the first round instead of the end of it.
Having two first-round picks in 2026 could position the Browns to get aggressive again next year if Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward doesn’t pan out, or a quarterback is not selected early. The pick swap is a slight advantage to Cleveland and is part of the compensation for Newsome, and the Bears still have pick number 39 to draft a good player with.
Amegadjie is a developmental offensive lineman the Bears took in the third round of last year’s draft. The Browns were very high on him coming out of Yale, and he could be a starter down the road at guard or tackle.
Scott hasn’t panned out after his first few seasons and could use a fresh start elsewhere. For Cleveland, he could be the deep threat they truly need in the receiver room and help stretch the defense. Scott is also a hometown kid who wanted to play here.
In summary, this proposed deal is one that Cleveland shouldn’t say no to, and Chicago is in a rare position to actually pull it off.
Now, I want to hear from you. Let me know in the comments below if you would accept this trade offer if you were Andrew Berry for a day.