In 2025, the sexiest name on many Buffalo Bills’ fan lists was Myles Garrett. Reportedly unhappy on the Cleveland Browns, Bills fans were willing to send a boatload of picks to Ohio in exchange for the best defensive player in the NFL. On Wednesday, the Browns restructured Garrett’s deal but not in a traditional sense. The move gives the Browns flexibility to trade Garrett to a team like the Bills who may be desperate to add the sack machine.
Let’s break down all the possibilities.
Why Myles Garrett’s contract change matters
The Browns moved
Garrett’s option bonus from this week to one week before the regular season starts. That means they don’t have to pay it until after a June 1 cutoff that would allow them to spread his dead cap hit over multiple seasons. The only other thing it does is potentially help the team with cash flow, but Garrett and his agents shouldn’t care about that at all. Literally the only benefit this move is to Garrett is to facilitate a trade away from Cleveland, and that’s why it has perked up ears across the league.
What is Myles Garrett’s cap hit?
When looking at his cap hit on the Browns, Garrett will count $23.5 million in 2026 if he is on the roster. If he is traded before June 1, the move would add $25 million in cap responsibilities for the Browns based on cash they’ve paid him but not accounted for. That isn’t possible based on their current cap number.
The move beyond June 1 for the roster bonus helps, though. A post-June 1 trade would give the Browns $13 million in cap space in 2026 according to Spotrac. Sure, they would push $37.5 million of cap commitments into 2027, but they could absorb that.
Could the Buffalo Bills afford Myles Garrett’s cap hit?
For Buffalo or any team trading for Garrett, his cap his is very low in 2026. The Bills could definitely fit it.
Base salary: $1.3 million
Option bonus proration: $5.84 million
Workout bonus: $200,000
Per-game active bonus: $1 million (58,823 per game)
Total cap charge: $8.34 million
The cash is a different subject. They would pay him $31.5 million in actual dollars.
Cleveland Browns propose allowing multiple years of first-round picks to be traded
It is no coincidence that this offseason, the Browns have proposed a rule that would allow NFL teams to trade NFL Draft picks up to five years in advance. Currently, NFL teams are only allowed to trade three years into the future. If the Browns’ asking price is more than the two first-round picks the Las Vegas Raiders were able to procure for Maxx Crosby — and it should be — this new rule would allow up to FIVE first-round picks to be traded for Garrett or teams could alternate years and give up three of five first-rounders over the span of half a decade instead of crippling themselves in three consecutive drafts.
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What would the trade compensation be for Myles Garrett?
We compared Myles Garrett to Maxx Crosby earlier saying Garrett would make take more trade capital. Garrett is older, sure, but he’s also not coming off knee surgery. Garrett notched 23 sacks in 2025 to set an NFL record, well ahead of Crosby’s 10. He had 14 in 2024 compared to Crosby at 7.5. They were neck-and-neck in 2023.
So if Crosby netted two first-round picks, the bidding for Garrett starts at three first-round picks even though the Crosby deal eventually fell through. Micah Parsons was also able to nab two first-round picks back before the 2025 season. That’s the market for top-end pass rushers.
With Garrett 30, if teams spread out the pain over five years, there is a real possibility a team trading for Garrett could still be giving up draft picks after he has retired form the NFL.
So which teams would be desperate enough to do that? The Buffalo Bills certainly come to mind with their Super Bowl quarterback and a general manager who just survived his head coach getting fired.
The Los Angeles Rams, maybe, with the window closing on their aging QB (though they may want to save those picks for their next QB). The Philadelphia Eagles making one last push before roster gutting is coming? The Dallas Cowboys hoping to improve their defense before Dak Prescott ages out?
What would the Bills pass rush look like with Myles Garrett?
Having three bigger-ticket pass rushers on the Bills would mean they could send wave after wave at opposing quarterbacks. Garrett ($40 million average), Greg Rousseau ($20 million average), and Bradley Chubb ($14.5 million) would represent one of the most expensive trios in the entire NFL. But all of them play a lot of snaps, so you could see a three-man rotation being the norm instead of swapping in four.
Do Bills fans want to trade for Myles Garrett?
So let us know in the comments below. Would you trade three first-round picks for Myles Garrett knowing everything you need to about the cost, both in trade and in salary cap?
