Myles Garrett requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns after eight seasons, seeking a Super Bowl title.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions might make sense for Garrett’s services.
Garrett’s potential landing spot will depend on a team’s willingness to absorb his contract and the Browns’ asking price.
Myles Garrett has been a member of the Cleveland Browns since the team selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. The 29-year-old is hoping that will change during the 2025 offseason.
Garrett requested a trade after eight seasons with the Browns. He cited a desire ‘to compete for and win a Super Bowl’ in a statement announcing his request.
It isn’t yet clear whether Cleveland will capitulate to Garrett. Browns general manager Andrew Berry told reporters at the Senior Bowl that Cleveland wasn’t interested in trading the star pass rusher and wanted him to retire as a member of the Browns.
Nonetheless, a plurality of NFL teams will be interested in acquiring Garrett, who won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2023 and has averaged 12.8 sacks per season during his eight-year career.
Here’s a look at some of Garrett’s top potential landing spots if Cleveland trades him and fully rebuilds.
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Philadelphia Eagles
If Garrett wants to play for a Super Bowl contender, he’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than the Eagles. Philadelphia has gone to two of the last three Super Bowls and will need to bolster its pass rush during the offseason, as Josh Sweat, Milton Williams and Brandon Graham (16.5 combined sacks) all hit free agency.
The Eagles have just under $18.1 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.com, but general manager Howie Roseman would find a way to make the remainder of Garrett’s five-year, $125 million deal work. Roseman has made aggressive trades before, including one recently for A.J. Brown, so expect Philadelphia to be involved in the bidding.
Detroit Lions
The Lions are another NFC contender that should have a strong interest in Garrett. They have one of the league’s best pass rushers in Aidan Hutchinson, but the team struggled to find a complement to him before he went out for the season with a broken leg.
Garrett and Hutchinson combined would instantly give the Lions one of the league’s best pass rushes. And despite being in a championship window, Detroit has the 10th-most cap space league-wide ($46.5 million) without too many stars set to hit free agency.
It’s also worth noting the Lions acquired veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith from the Browns ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline, so there is a positive history between these two front offices.
Green Bay Packers
Rashan Gary has developed into a star pass rusher for the Packers, but 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness hasn’t yet developed into a force across from him as Green Bay had hoped. Garrett’s presence would give the Packers a formidable one-two punch along with Gary and could help Jeff Hafley’s defense continue its upward trajectory (the Packers ranked fourth in defensive EPA last year).
Green Bay has just under $42.1 million in cap space for the 2025 offseason, so the team could easily absorb Garrett’s remaining salary.
Washington Commanders
Here’s another up-and-coming NFC playoff team that could use a top-tier pass rusher. Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. turned Washington’s defense into a respectable unit, but the Commanders still need to add some star power on the edge. Garrett qualifies and would soften the potential blow of losing pending free agent Dante Fowler Jr. (10.5 sacks).
With Jayden Daniels on a cost-controlled rookie contract, the Commanders are armed with the third-most cap space league-wide, an excess of $78.1 million. That could prompt Adam Peters to aggressively pursue Garrett with Washington well ahead of schedule in its rebuild.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are also ahead of schedule in their rebuild, though not quite to the extent of the Commanders. They reached the playoffs in Jim Harbaugh’s first season but will look to infuse their middling roster with some star power during the offseason.
Garrett would be a natural replacement for pending free agent Khalil Mack, who will turn 34 this month. Pairing the Browns star with Joey Bosa would create one of the NFL’s most fearsome two-man pass rushes.
San Francisco 49ers
If Garrett doesn’t team up with Joey Bosa, why not do so with his younger brother? The 49ers could use a top-tier complement to Nick Bosa and have the eighth-most cap space in the league at $48.3 million. John Lynch’s front office has spent big on defensive linemen throughout his tenure as general manager, so seeing them chase Garrett wouldn’t be a surprise.
That said, the 49ers chasing Garrett isn’t a slam-dunk. They need to conserve some cap space for Brock Purdy’s new deal and have four defensive starters set to hit free agency, including linebacker Dre Greenlaw and top cornerback Charvarius Ward. San Francisco may prefer to take care of some of their own as such rather than go big game hunting again.
Chicago Bears
The Bears don’t check all of Garrett’s boxes, as they aren’t presently a proven winner. That said, he would provide a massive upgrade for the team’s defense across from Montez Sweat. That could make Chicago’s defense, which ranked 15th in the NFL in defensive EPA despite a dismal season for the team as a whole, one of the NFL’s best.
Chicago is armed with just under $63 million in cap space (sixth-most in the NFL) so perhaps Ben Johnson can sell Garrett on the Bears making a big leap in his first season as a head coach.
Las Vegas Raiders
Yes, the Raiders don’t check the box of a winner either, but imagine Garrett and Maxx Crosby playing across from one another with Christian Wilkins at defensive tackle. That’s enough to make opposing offenses lose sleep.
The Raiders also have the second-most cap space league-wide ($92.6 million) and hired Pete Carroll to turn their franchise around. Carroll built formidable defenses during his time with the Seattle Seahawks and posted a winning record in 11 of his last 12 seasons in Seattle. Perhaps the ever-energetic Carroll could get Garrett excited about the team’s defensive potential and get him to come to Las Vegas.