Five Potential Trade Destinations for Browns Star Pass Rusher
On Monday, premier pass rusher Myles Garrett announced that he requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns. The Browns drafted Garrett with the first-overall pick in 2017, and he has proven to be one of the best players in the league during that span. Since 2019, he’s been voted to the NFL Top 100 every season, which hardly scratches the surface of his greatness. The six-time All-Pro requested to go to a contending team in his statement, saying, “My desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won't allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton; it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl.” Below is a list of teams that he could potentially get traded to that fit his criteria.
Dallas Cowboys
Aside from Garrett growing up near Dallas and Micah Parsons’ recent comments attempting to recruit him to the Cowboys, this seems like a pipe dream. In an interview with CBS Sports, Parsons stated that he would “100 percent” take less money to play alongside Garrett. However, Jerry Jones is fresh off giving contract extensions to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, but he’ll now need to give his elite edge rusher a payday, too. Since being drafted 12th overall in 2021, the former Penn State Nittany Lion has earned a Pro Bowl selection every single season while also winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, a second-team All-Pro, and two first-team All-Pro selections. Clearly, Parsons is due for a big contract, but maybe Jones can pull a rabbit out of his hat and find a way to bring Garrett back to Dallas.
Green Bay Packers
Though Green Bay’s divisional rival of the Lions has been linked to Garrett, that’s a lot more unlikely than most people realize. Despite being top-10 in projected 2025 cap space, Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown will have a combined cap hit of $102.71 in 2026, the same season where Alim McNeill and Penei Sewell’s contracts kick in for nearly $57 million. The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year still could pair up with an elite NFC North pass rusher, except it’s more likely to be Rashan Gary. Since the Packers have such a young core, they don’t have a lot of money tied up in big contracts. This bodes well for Garrett’s needs of going to a contender who can give him a contract extension. One major concern of trading for Garrett would be that it would continually stunt the growth of Lukas Van Ness, Green Bay’s 2023 first-round pick. Van Ness has been outsnapped by Kingsley Enagbare, the Packers’ fifth-round pick in 2022, in each season that he’s played, and it might just be time to give up on him now that a player of Garrett’s caliber has become available.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Browns’ all-time sack leader could find a nice change of scenery in Los Angeles. The Chargers have a promising young quarterback, potential as playoff contenders, and most importantly, a lot of cap room. Khalil Mack is likely on his way out, and Joey Bosa’s contract is up after next season, meaning the Chargers could be in the market for a pass rusher. Going from Cleveland to LA and from Deshaun Watson to Justin Herbert would be a dream come through for most players in the league, establishing this as a great location for the ex-Texas A&M Aggie. Even if the Chargers retain Mack or Bosa, their tandem with Garrett would make for a spectacular pass rush.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders look to be in the best situation to land Garrett out of any team. In a presumptive rebuild year, Washington went all the way to the NFC Championship led by rookie sensation Jayden Daniels. The main focus of the offseason is sure to be defense; giving up 55 points in the final game of the season cemented how important that side of the ball is. Dante Fowler, who led the Commanders in sacks, is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Fowler, Dorance Armstrong, Frankie Luvu, and Clelin Ferrell, who is also a pending UFA, all played over 370 snaps at edge rusher. A rotation of Garrett, Luvu, Armstrong, and second-year defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste in 2025 would strike fear in the hearts of opposing quarterbacks. Only time will tell if Commanders general manager Adam Peters pulls the trigger on the six-foot-four, 272-pound game-wrecker on defense.
Philadelphia Eagles
A sneaky-good bet to place is Garrett to the Eagles at +850, according to FanDuel. By Garrett’s admission, Philadelphia “would be a hell of a destination.” After all, who wouldn’t want to go to a team that just went to their second Super Bowl in five seasons? Philadelphia’s third all-time sack leader and 2024 sack leader in Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat could both be leaving, Sweat’s contract is up and Graham initially announced that 2024 would be his final season but has since said he is unsure if the Super Bowl will be his final game, which would leave the de facto edge rushers as Nolan Smith and Bryce Huff. General manager Howie Roseman has consistently touted an elite defensive line, and what’s more elite than three of the top-four linemen being Garrett, Jalen Carter, and Jordan Davis? Shockingly, the already-loaded Eagles can make this trade work money-wise. Garrett’s cap hit in 2025 will only be $4.96 million for whoever trades for him, which isn’t an issue for many teams, but if the Eagles cut aging cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry, they’ll free up a lot more money to give Garrett an extension.
