Star pass rusher Myles Garrett’s trade request has further complicated his already-tenuous situation with the Cleveland Browns.
Yes, it’s easy to hear of Garrett’s request and conclude that a couple of first-round picks should get it done, but a trade will be far more challenging to work out than that. The Browns’ salary cap situation, largely due to quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract, is in dire shape, and a Garrett trade wouldn’t offer any immediate salvation. However, Garrett’s age (29), contract priorities and the price to execute a trade are also critical factors.
And then there’s this: The Browns still don’t intend to trade Garrett, according to a team source. They have not backed off that stance since Monday, when Garrett publicized his trade request.
“It’s going to get messy,” said a personnel executive who didn’t believe the Browns would trade Garrett.
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The Athletic polled 10 NFL personnel executives and coaches to get a feel for Garrett’s trade market. All believed the Browns could recoup a first-round pick, with most estimating there’d be at least a player or mid-round pick added to the package. Three sources thought the Browns would land at least a pair of first-round picks.
Garrett, a finalist this season for his second Defensive Player of the Year award, ranked second in the NFL with 14 sacks and led the league with 22 tackles for loss. He’s tallied 102.5 sacks since entering the league in 2017, second only to Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt and at least 20 more than any other active player.
The Browns believe Garrett is the NFL’s best defensive player, and they aren’t alone in that thinking. The six-time All-Pro is still in his prime, too, though some league sources acknowledged there’s a risk in spending such a high price on a player who turns 30 on Dec. 29. However, he has been durable, missing only two games in the past four years.
“The only sticking point (is the age),” a second executive said. “Are you trading (multiple first-rounders) for a Defensive Player of the Year-type player close to hitting 30? It’s debatable, but Myles is so damn good.”
A healthy Garrett could be the missing piece for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. The Kansas City Chiefs have been aggressive during their championship window and could make a play to prevent their competition from gaining ground. Garrett also makes sense for the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals, among others.
“They will get something significant,” a third executive said. “But the contract will be the key. Will he play on what he has or want a new one immediately?”
Garrett has said he wants to win a Super Bowl above all else, but the contract can’t be ignored. If traded without a restructure, the new team would owe Garrett an incredibly affordable $44.8 million over the next two seasons. That money wouldn’t be guaranteed, though, so there’d be an expectation for an adjustment at the bare minimum.
A couple of executives believed Garrett would command at least $32 million annually with an extension. And if he’s targeting the biggest defensive contract in league history — currently held by San Francisco 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa at $170 million over five years — Garrett could rightfully start his negotiations at $35 million per season.
If the Browns intend to keep Garrett in Cleveland, it may behoove them to step up soon with a huge offer. Considering the steps Garrett has taken to spur a trade, that might require blowing Bosa’s contract out of the water in total dollars, average annual value and guaranteed money ($88 million). It could be as dramatic as five years and $190 million, including $100 million guaranteed.
Again, though, it comes back to Garrett’s proclamation that winning a Lombardi Trophy is the priority, and the Browns’ cap situation has actually worsened with each restructuring of Watson’s contract. The quarterback, who may not play in 2025 due to a second surgery on his ruptured Achilles tendon, is on the books for consecutive $72.9 million cap hits in 2025 and 2026, and the Browns added void years through the 2030 season to soften the damage.
That’s a significant reason they’re currently $30 million over the 2025 salary cap, which is second worst to the New Orleans Saints, according to Over The Cap. But if the Browns trade Garrett before June 1, they’d take on another $36.2 million in dead money.
“(It) had better be a really good pick (via trade),” a general manager said, “if you are going to have $36M dead against your already jacked-up cap.”
They also could wait until after June 1 to trade Garrett to create a more manageable cap situation in 2025, but it could lessen their return. And a more manageable cap situation in June won’t get them very far with free agency in March. But if the Browns want to see if Garrett is willing to hold out of training camp to see this all the way through, there’s at least some financial incentive to do so.
For the Browns to trade Garrett, they would likely have to tack on more years to Watson’s deal again to spread out the cap ramifications, cut or trade right tackle Jack Conklin, extend cornerback Denzel Ward and maybe rework Garrett’s pact, which already has void years through 2031.
There certainly would be other contractually related moves as well.
The Browns face a harsh reality while coming off a 3-14 season that netted the No. 2 draft pick and a murkier picture at quarterback. They can either try to keep duct-taping it together and hope there’s enough in place to support a young QB while shuffling more cap hits into the 2030 range, or they can take their medicine with the tough contract decisions, field a team with players on near-minimum salaries and recognize there won’t be many victories in the short term, similar to the way the Houston Texans recently welcomed a hard reset.
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If the Browns trade Garrett, perhaps they can accumulate enough picks to create their next core and attempt to emerge from the contractual chaos in 2027. If they can convince him to stay, they’ll have to hope he has enough in the tank to contribute by the time the youth movement catches up.
That seems unlikely, and, frankly, there are too many reasons to believe a divorce makes the most sense.
But will the Browns accept the fate of entering the 2025 season with an excess of $75 million in dead money? Can they handle the backlash from the fan base if they trade Garrett — a surefire Pro Football Hall of Famer and their most marketable player — after enduring so much criticism for the Watson trade? All the while, can they draft a QB and put him in a position to succeed with Watson’s potential return hovering in 2026?
Garrett turned up the volume Monday, but it’s understandable why the Browns seem reluctant to dance. However, they arrive in three weeks at the NFL Scouting Combine — the league’s biggest networking event — and teams will flood the Browns with trade proposals.
They’ll only be able to say no for so long. The league knows Garrett is likely available, and teams are willing to pay a premium price to acquire him.
(Photo: Ian Maule / Getty Images)
