It’s never a dull day in Cleveland. For fans expecting any form of the Myles Garrett trade rumors would be silenced after last offseason, the rumors started back up again. The team and Garrett agreed to modify his recent contract. It appears that the team did more than just standard salary cap work, with flexibility, with both the salary cap and with a potential Garrett trade, now in place, stealing from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Team and NFL sources have thrown cold water on the rumors, but given
the new contract, they will likely flare up at different times before the season starts.
Going back to last offseason, when Garrett requested a trade, trading him made no sense financially due to the salary cap consequences, but now with the contract being modified, fans are now speculating if the Browns are actually open to trading the future first ballot Hall of Famer.
Garrett won Defensive Player of the Year last season, as well as breaking the single-season sack record. From a player standpoint, he had one of his best seasons as a pro. The issue? He was on a team that won five games last season. Cleveland was not a good team, even if they were better than their record suggested. Despite boasting an elite defense, the team was held back due to ineptitude on offense and special teams. It’s not a fault of Garrett’s, but considering how he had an elite season, and the Browns are still picking in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, is a sobering reality.
Last offseason, many wondered if the Browns were going to oblige and give in to Garrett’s request.
- The team wasn’t motivated to move him
- His dead cap hit pre June 1st would’ve had a domino effect on the entire roster
- General manager Andrew Berry isn’t trying to make his job much harder by trading away a generational edge rusher
Fast forward to now. It’s more complicated.
For starters, Garrett has a no-trade clause in his contract, meaning he has final say in where he wants to go. Considering how Cleveland is not a contender for a Super Bowl anytime soon, teams with viable Super Bowl windows make sense instead of a team that’s either rebuilding or a playoff contender with a low ceiling. Realistically speaking, the best option for Garrett is the Eagles. Draft picks aside, the Eagles have a roster that’s very good.
There are teams that would trade for Garrett, but have legit questions for a deal:
- Buffalo Bills: Roster is top-heavy, defense looks weaker on paper, and roster quality is questionable
- Kansas City Chiefs: Not many blue-chip players that the Browns would want in a trade
- Dallas Cowboys: A roster with needs would be further weakened if they were to offer draft capital and players for Garrett
If a deal were to be done, the Eagles would make the most sense, but in reality, the picks that the Browns would accumulate would be late in the 1st round, and those aren’t as valuable.
On paper, it would be beneficial for the Browns to trade Garrett. More draft picks, and you have enough to build a new core. However, something can look good on paper and be executed poorly. Generational edge rushers do not grow on trees, and Garrett is one of those. It’s highly unlikely that Cleveland gets a player of his caliber again in the near future, it’s just not realistically possible.
From the Browns point of view, in terms of how they are right now, here is where the team stands.
- The team has no clear answer at the quarterback position
- This upcoming draft class has a higher tier of defensive players than offensive players
- The team is in the middle of a rebuild, 1 year away from being a playoff contender, while they are 2-3 years away from being a legit Super Bowl contender
It’s the reality of the situation. When you are in the middle of a rebuild, these conversations will be brought up. Considering how Cleveland proposed a rule allowing teams to trade draft picks five years from now and how owner Jimmy Haslam likes current Texas QB Arch Manning (who is draft eligible next season), it’s obvious why these Garrett trade rumors are starting up again after the contract change.
The odds of the Browns trading Garrett are low, and it’s not a guarantee that this team is bad again this upcoming season. Worst-case scenario (for some fans), the team ends up winning more games than they did last year, quarterback Shedeur Sanders ends up being better than last season, and you end up playing yourself out of a top-three pick. It’s not a guarantee that it happens, but we’ve seen stranger things happen before.
Trading Myles Garrett might seem like a good idea on paper, but it’s difficult to execute due to the potential consequences.
