Can the Browns ‘win’ the Myles Garrett sweepstakes?

Teams should be lining up to trade for game’s best defensive player. But are the candidates actually limited?

It has been 12 days since Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett went public with his request for the team to trade him after eight seasons in Cleveland.

The ensuing days have brought speculation over whether or not the Browns will acquiesce to Garrett’s wishes, Garrett using Super Bowl week to go on a national media tour with his frustrations, and more trade rumors than any sane Browns fan should have to deal with.

General manager Andrew Berry has held firm in saying the team has no plans to trade Garrett. Still, as the annual Scouting Combine turns into free agency and then the 2025 NFL Draft, it may become inevitable that Berry will make the best deal he can. That would hurt the team in the short run, but the draft assets coming back as part of the deal would help Berry rebuild an aging and expensive roster.

But while fans dream of a bounty of draft picks in exchange for the game’s best defensive player, the reality is that the market may not be all that robust, a scenario the ESPN’s Bill Barnwell looks at in his latest (paywalled) article.

Barnwell kicks things off by looking for comps for star players who were traded before the age of 30, narrowing it down to the following six players and what they brought in a trade:

• Wide receiver Tyreek Hill: The Kansas City Chiefs received 2022 first-, second- and fourth-round picks, and 2023 fourth- and sixth-round picks from the Miami Dolphins.
• Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins: The Houston Texans received running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-round pick from the Arizona Cardinals.
• Cornerback Darrelle Revis: The New York Jets received a 2013 first-round pick, and a 2014 fourth-round pick from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Defensive end Richard Seymour: The New England Patriots received a 2011 first-round pick from the Raiders.
• Wide receiver Randy Moss: The Minnesota Vikings received 2005 first- and seventh-round picks, and linebacker Napoleon Harris from the Raiders.
• Running back Eric Dickerson: The Los Angeles Rams received, in a three-team trade from the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills, three first-round picks (1988 and 1989), three second-round picks (1988 and 1989), running backs Greg Bell and Owen Gill.

Barnwell concludes that a first-round draft pick would be the floor for a Garrett trade, with two first-rounders “a big ask” for a player nearing age 30, which traditionally has been when players start to see their production decline. But if the Browns were to send Garrett to a contender, which is his stated preference, there would need to be multiple draft picks involved given that any first-round picks would likely fall near the bottom of the round.

So which teams does Barnwell believe would fit the bill as a trade partner?

He wisely eliminates the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cincinnati Bengals as there is almost zero chance that Berry would send Garrett to another team in the AFC North. Plus each of those teams has issues of their own to deal with, as enticing as Garrett may be.

Barnwell also rules out a handful of teams that are not competitive, are not in the market for an edge rusher, are unlikely to make a deal, or are not in a financial position to award Garrett the type of new contract a trade would bring with it.

That leaves three teams that Barnwell considers the “sweet spot” thanks to having a quarterback on a rookie contract:

• The Chicago Bears have the No. 10 overall selection in the upcoming draft, along with an extra second-round selection that could be included in a potential deal.
• The Indianapolis Colts have the No. 14 overall selection this year and could send defensive end Kwity Paye back to the Browns as part of a deal.
• The Washington Commanders have the No. 29 overall selection and should be the “first team the Browns call” about a Garrett trade, according to Barnwell.

While having Garrett remain on the Browns is far more palatable than seeing the team trade him away, if it comes to it a deal with the Bears might be the best of the ones that Barnwell lays out.

The Bears may not be the contender that Garrett wants, sorry about that, big guy, but not the Browns’ problem, but adding Chicago’s first-round selection gives the Browns two picks in the Top 10, and getting the Bears to toss in one of their second-round picks would help jumpstart the rebuild – or reload the roster, depending on your perspective.

For now, it is all speculation, so have your say in the comments. If the Browns were to trade Garrett, who should they be talking to and what should they be getting in return?