The NFL offseason has been going on for most teams for a few weeks now. But things really kicked off this week when Browns DE Myles Garrett went public with a trade request, dropping a signed statement that made a big splash and probably left the people of Cleveland feeling more than a little deja vu with another big star looking for a way out of town.
This is huge. Garrett is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and if he’s not the best defensive player in the sport right now, he’s on a short list with two or three others. With four first-team All-Pro selections and 102.5 sacks in eight years, he’s on track for the Hall of Fame and is still only 29 years old. Players like that just don’t change teams that often.
Every single team will at least have a serious internal conversation about what it would take to get Garrett, though the Browns also have to relent off their current stance that trading Garrett isn’t an option. It’s not just about getting a new deal for Garrett — though the guarantees on his current contract have run out and he’s due for a raise — he truly seems disillusioned with the state of the team.
Cleveland has known about this for weeks and hoped to sort it all out in-house. Instead, Garrett blew the lid wide open and effectively kicked off a sweepstakes for his services. Buckle up, because this will likely not quiet down anytime soon.
How Did The Browns & Garrett Get Here?
The Browns drafted Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick in 2017, which was a stroke of good fortune for a franchise infamously short on success. The generational prospect label can be overused but it was fitting for Garrett — a 6-4, 270-pound athletic freak who averaged nearly a sack a game in college. Garrett was a star from Day 1 in the NFL, and by his fourth season, he had gone from great to elite.
Garrett was a vital part in Cleveland snapping its decades-long playoff drought in 2020 and it’s not a coincidence that he was Defensive Player of the Year when the Browns returned to the postseason in 2023. The Browns were all in with Garrett, inking him to a five-year, $150 million deal in July of 2020 after just three years on his rookie deal. For his part, Garrett also seemed to be all-in with the Browns.
This is what Myles Garrett told me just a little over a year ago: “Being with the team that drafted you your entire career and winning a championship with them is the most special thing you can do in your career…” Amazing how much has changed since then https://t.co/NbK2WOU4Rg pic.twitter.com/2QFTPuPEjU
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) February 3, 2025
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But nothing takes a toll in the NFL quite like losing. It’s not that Garrett is a stranger to it, the Browns went 0-16 in his rookie season and have finished above .500 just twice in his eight years. This past year was different, though. The Browns expected to be a playoff team again, with two-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski finally getting a fully healthy QB Deshaun Watson, who Cleveland had given up three first-round picks and $230 million guaranteed to acquire. Instead, Watson was a disaster and it tanked the whole team.
Under Stefanski, the Browns were 37-30 before floundering to a 3-14 record. Benching Watson was never a consideration despite his awful play, but when he went down with a torn Achilles the Browns started three different quarterbacks to finish the year. Players surely took notice of that after the team let former backup QB Joe Flacco walk in free agency because the veteran had won over the fanbase during Cleveland’s 2023 playoff run. Garrett played well but the rest of the defense regressed hard.
It feels like more hard times are on the horizon. Watson retore his Achilles during rehab, which might actually have been the best possible outcome for the Browns given how poorly he’d played because it gives them an avenue to get a little bit of cap relief from an insurance policy on Watson’s onerous contract. That deal will continue to weigh down their salary cap for years to come — the Browns still owe Watson over $90 million in cash and have to process over $172 million against the salary cap on their books over the next few years.
Cleveland has the No. 2 pick but it’s not viewed as a great draft class for quarterbacks. There aren’t many viable alternatives in the free agency or trade market either, especially for a team as financially limited as the Browns. Quarterback is far from the only issue, too. The offensive line is aging and saw its performance drop off sharply last year, with question marks at multiple positions including left tackle. The Browns’ list of needs includes defensive line, cornerback help, more weapons at receiver and running back, linebacker and even kicker.
Frankly Cleveland looks more likely to earn the No. 1 pick than reach the Super Bowl at this point. Garrett can see this, too, and at 29 years old he could be feeling his football mortality start to creep in.
Contract Matters
Garrett’s contract would have been an item of business for the Browns this offseason no matter how this past year had gone. The deal has just two years remaining and none of the approximate $45 million in cash Garrett is still due is protected with any guarantees. Garrett has gone from the NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher to fifth since signing his deal and was due for a market correction.
It doesn’t seem like the Browns were going to have much of an issue making Garrett the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback at a sum of over $35 million annually. Browns GM Andrew Berry repeatedly used the phrase “Cleveland to Canton” this offseason to illustrate his plans for Garrett, telling reporters at the Senior Bowl it was fair to anticipate them signing Garrett to a third contract. Often trade requests are leverage for players as they seek new contracts but in this case, Garrett didn’t need to put pressure on the Browns to do a deal.
The trade request was about something else and it’s not a mystery. We can take Garrett’s words at face value. His official statement explained that his ultimate goal is winning a Super Bowl and he specifically used Berry’s slogan to make his point, writing, “The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl.”
This is not a ploy to get more money out of the Browns, which was confirmed Monday. Garrett wants out of Cleveland. But that doesn’t mean Garrett’s contract won’t matter on multiple fronts.
There are two sides to the coin here. As they have with most of their major, non-rookie contracts, the Browns structured Garrett’s deal to maximize cap space and stretch out the impact of his deal. Cleveland restructured Garrett multiple times with void years and as presently constructed, Garrett counts for dead money on the books until 2028. A trade would accelerate all of that to the current season. Instead of counting $19.7 million against the cap, Garrett’s cap hit would be $36.2 million, representing a drop of $16.5 million in space.
And the Browns are already over $38 million in the red for 2025 right now…
We took a look at how the Browns would need to maneuver financially in 2025 back in December, and a Garrett trade would likely force the Browns into decisions like cutting RT Jack Conklin or even trading CB Greg Newsome II in a salary dump, decisions that Cleveland otherwise might have more agency around. The Browns won’t quite be relegated to the equivalent of an expansion team but it would be a lean year.
That up-front pain will motivate the Browns to get the best deal possible for Garrett, assuming they change course and start listening to offers. If or when that happens, Garrett’s contract will still be a sticking point in talks with teams. It’s not so much that $45 million in cash will make teams hesitate — it’s a hefty sum but a bargain for a player of Garrett’s caliber. It’s that Garrett will most likely sign an updated contract with whichever team trades for him, and he can influence his landing spot by his willingness or lack thereof to engage in those talks.
The disastrous Haason Reddick trade for the Jets is a fresh reminder of what can happen when teams trade for unhappy players without remedying the source of their discontent. The stakes on any Garrett deal would be much higher, so any team trading for him would ensure he was completely on board. At this stage of his career, that probably includes a new market-setting contract.
What Could The Browns Get?
Last week, a reporter asked Berry if he would turn down an offer of two first-round picks from another team for Garrett.
“Correct. You can put that on the record,” Berry responded.
That statement may not have aged well but it does present a starting point for teams inquiring with the Browns. It’s not an outlandish request, as the Bears were able to land OLB Khalil Mack in a trade with the Raiders for two first-round picks, though they also got back a second swapped with a third and a fifth with a sixth. Mack was 27 and like Garrett also had a DPOY award under his belt. He also needed a new contract, which the Bears gave him shortly after trading for him.
Garrett is 29 but he’s probably held in higher regard than Mack was at that stage of his career. His age and the need for a new contract will still be mitigating factors interested teams will have to work through. Garrett presumably won’t sign off on a trade to just any team either, so that could limit Cleveland’s market.
Still, two first-round picks for an elite pass rusher in his prime is more than justifiable, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Browns squeeze a little bit more in a potential deal. One factor working in their favor is that teams usually discount future picks, but Cleveland might value future picks equally or higher given the state of their roster and the lack of star power among the 2025 crop of prospects.
I have one more parallel to draw and it’s a cautionary tale for the Browns. In April of 2019, then-Commanders LT Trent Williams had a procedure to remove a cancerous growth from his scalp, a life-threatening issue team doctors missed for years. Williams was incensed and vowed never to play for Washington again, requesting a trade. The team attempted to call his bluff and Williams ended up sitting out the entire 2019 season before the team relented and traded him during the 2020 draft to the 49ers.
At the time, Williams was 30 years old and widely regarded as one of the top tackles in football, if not the top. If Washington had been willing to explore its options sooner, it’s not clear what they’d have gotten back in a trade but it almost certainly would have been more than the fifth and future third they settled for from San Francisco.
The situation with Garrett isn’t so life and death but it is another case where the player wants out for principled reasons. We don’t know yet if Garrett is willing to go to the lengths Williams did but it’s a possibility the Browns should account for when deciding how to proceed. We already know this isn’t your typical contract-motivated trade request. Berry already made one catastrophic mistake by signing off on the Watson trade, one that most GMs wouldn’t have survived. He cannot afford to mismanage things with Garrett, as it could set the franchise back years on top of what it’s already battling.
Landing Spots For Garrett
All 31 other teams are doing themselves a disservice if they don’t at least internally explore the idea of trading for Garrett. For the first time in several years, every team owns their own first-round pick (for now) in the current class and no future firsts have been traded (yet).
Still, some teams will be better equipped than others to make a run at Garrett, both in terms of trade assets and financial flexibility. Others will be more motivated to make a deal happen and add to a contending roster, and those teams will also be more attractive landing spots for Garrett.
I’ve grouped the rest of the league into four buckets to assess their chances of landing Garrett.
Slim Chances
- Bengals
- Steelers
- Ravens
- Titans
- Giants
- Jaguars
- Panthers
- Saints
We can rule out the rest of the AFC North straight off the bat. Should the Browns change their minds and open up the bidding for Garrett, Berry would be taking enough of a risk being known as the man who traded for Watson and shipped Garrett out of town. He might not be able to show his face in Cleveland again if he traded Garrett to a team the Browns play twice a year.
The rest of this list is a hodgepodge of bad teams with bad reputations — some of the Browns’ biggest competitors for saddest sack in the NFL. These are teams Garrett would probably be reluctant to approve a trade to and conversely these teams are not a Myles Garrett away from transforming into contenders.
Probably Not
- Patriots
- Raiders
- Jets
- Cowboys
- Dolphins
- Buccaneers
- Broncos
- Vikings
- Texans
- Eagles
- Chiefs
I would sum up this group as having slightly better chances of swinging a deal for Garrett than the previous group, with at least one reason for each team it could work. However, that’s outweighed for every team by multiple reasons why it wouldn’t make sense.
New England has the money, draft capital and need for talent. The arrival of new HC Mike Vrabel and the promise of first-round QB Drake Maye could convince Garrett New England can be on the fast track to relevance quicker than people expect. That said, the Patriots have so many needs it might be tough to justify spending so much for just one player.
The idea of pairing Garrett with DE Maxx Crosby is intriguing and would be a way for the Raiders to set themselves apart in a fearsome AFC West. The realities of paying both while still not having a long-term solution at quarterback mean this is probably a pipe dream.
Lions HC Aaron Glenn saves the Jets from being in the bottom category, as he’s got a strong reputation in player circles. That’s still probably not enough for Garrett to sign off on a trade to a franchise that has a long drought of playoff success than the Browns.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might like the idea of bringing Garrett back home to Texas and making a splash to win back fans. The realities of what it would cost to land Garrett will end that daydream, especially with LB Micah Parsons also due for a new contract.
Miami has some notable names but not a lot of certainty at edge rusher with guys like Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips coming off major injuries. The logistics of upgrading to Garrett with the Dolphins’ current cap situation are likely too difficult to work through.
The Buccaneers could use help at edge rusher but are not flush with cap space and have rarely made the kind of blockbuster deal necessary to acquire a player like Garrett, at least via trade.
Denver will probably look to allocate resources to the offense and build around first-round QB Bo Nix after the defense was a top-five unit this past year.
Minnesota has just four draft picks in the upcoming class right now and already invested heavily at edge rusher with the trade up for first-round OLB Dallas Turner last spring and the additions of Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency.
With the duo of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., the Texans might be the only team that can say it doesn’t need Garrett.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman will make the call to Berry, his former protege, but the Eagles’ books are already heavily weighed down and a trade for Garrett would be a tough swing. Philadelphia will have to let some players walk this offseason and trading for Garrett would come at the expense of more.
The Chiefs could swing this trade in theory but they already have numerous players up for big-money deals and as long as they’ve had QB Patrick Mahomes they haven’t felt the pressure to make big swings like what a theoretical Garrett trade would cost.
Dark Horses
- 49ers
- Colts
- Seahawks
- Rams
- Lions
- Bills
Moving up the leaderboard, these are teams I would not rule out from making a legitimate bid for Garrett.
The 49ers have always tried to build through the trenches and their regression in that area was a big reason they disappointed in 2024. They’ve been looking for another defensive end to pair with Nick Bosa for ages and trading for Garrett would give them two of the last three DPOYs. That said, it’s fair to wonder how they’d manage to afford to acquire Garrett on top of the current market-setting deal for Bosa — plus the imminent big deal for QB Brock Purdy.
This is exactly the type of big swing Colts GM Chris Ballard should make to try and get his team over the top. To his credit, the historically conservative Ballard did deal a first-round pick to the 49ers for DT DeForest Buckner when San Francisco decided it couldn’t afford him. So there would be precedent for Ballard going after Garrett, it would just cost at least twice what he paid for Buckner.
Seattle has a deep edge rushing room but not necessarily a star. Perhaps HC Mike Macdonald is content with that and using the blitz to create pressure but the Seahawks could also flip one of their younger defensive linemen in a deal with Cleveland and cut into the cost of landing Garrett. They don’t have a lot of cap space right now but that should change after a few cuts.
The Rams have shifted to more of a youth focus but I’ve learned over the years to never count them out from making a big move. If they pivoted back to “f them picks” mode, Garrett is exactly the type of player they’d look to land. They do have some flexibility to afford Garrett with all the front seven players currently on rookie contracts, too.
The injury to Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson this past season exacerbated an already glaring need for pass rush help for Detroit, and it was a big factor in their early playoff exit. Hutchinson is eligible for a new deal and he’s getting closer to Garrett’s tier as a pass rusher. The Lions have doled out plenty of other big contracts as well which will limit their flexibility. But a credible argument could be made that Garrett would be the missing piece to push the Lions over the top to a Super Bowl. In the end, that’s worth a lot.
Bills GM Brandon Beane was discussing yet another playoff defeat in which the Chiefs shredded Buffalo’s defense in his end-of-season presser last week. He told reporters he’d tried to beef up the pass rush, citing the signing of DE Von Miller as a free agent among other moves, but pointed out most teams aren’t making dominant pass rushers available. So you can bet Garrett’s trade request piqued Beane’s interest. Buffalo doesn’t have a lot of cap flexibility but Garrett is the type of player the Bills could justify maxing out the credit cards to go get.
Frontrunners
- Commanders
- Falcons
- Bears
- Packers
- Chargers
- Cardinals
These are the top suitors who check all the boxes for a potential Garrett blockbuster — contending teams with a need at pass rusher and the assets to make a deal happen.
Washington landed on the fast track to success with breakout first-round QB Jayden Daniels and this offseason will be all about stacking up the team around him as much as possible to take advantage of the two to three-year window afforded by his rookie contract. The defense found a few quality pieces as they overachieved in the first year under HC Dan Quinn, but Garrett would be a foundational piece to build toward even more success. Putting him on the same defensive line as DTs Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne would be dominant.
Atlanta’s pass rush was a conspicuous weakness despite the attempt to fix it by trading for Patriots OLB Matt Judon in the preseason. Now that the quarterback position is settled, or at least the Falcons know who they want to be the starter, addressing the defense should be the top priority. Landing a player like Garrett would be huge for that side of the ball, though the Falcons would need to reallocate cash from other veterans to afford a new deal for Garrett.
One interesting wrinkle here would be Falcons QB Kirk Cousins, who would make a lot of sense as a bridge option for the Browns since he played for Stefanski in Minnesota. The Falcons have claimed they’re willing to keep Cousins as a $37 million backup rather than cut him and watch him latch on with another team for the veteran minimum, but this scenario would give them a chance to save face by including him in the trade package, even though they’d still have to eat nearly all of his salary. For the Browns, it would help them stay respectable even in a rebuild and give them an outside shot at a quick turnaround like the Steelers and Broncos achieved this past year.
The Bears have shown a willingness to be big players on the trade market and still have an extra second-round pick this year from trading the No. 1 pick to the Panthers in 2023. They also still have a lot of flexibility thanks to first-round QB Caleb Williams’ rookie contract and some sizzle with new HC Ben Johnson taking over. Landing a player like Garrett to team up with DE Montez Sweat would give Chicago one of the best edge rushing duos in football.
Staying in the NFC North, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has alluded to the Packers needing to operate with more urgency as they move into the next phase of their competitive window. The team’s pass rush was a bit of a disappointment this past season. Put two and two together, and it could equal a massive swing on the part of Gutekunst for a player like Garrett. It would be the biggest gamble Gutekunst has made since trading up for QB Jordan Love — and that one worked out pretty well.
The Chargers have loads of cap space and one of the biggest stashes of draft picks of any team. They also could be losing both Mack and OLB Joey Bosa — the former as a free agent, the latter as a cap cut. Trading for Garrett would overhaul the pass rush in a major way and answer what would otherwise be a significant question mark on the roster.
The Cardinals picked up a lot of picks by moving down from No. 3 overall in 2023. They landed a quality player in LT Paris Johnson but it’s fair to question whether they’d pass on the player the Texans got, Anderson Jr., in hindsight, as Arizona is still working to build up its front seven going into Year 3 under GM Monti Ossenfort and HC Jonathan Gannon. Trading for Garrett would be a way to fill that need.
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