Myles Garrett rocked the Cleveland Browns’ world when he publicly requested a trade via social media. Since being drafted, he’s been the face of the franchise, and general manager Andrew Berry wants him to go from “Cleveland to Canton when his career is over.”
Garrett’s statement made it clear he’s on a different page than Berry, though. He wants out of Cleveland while he has All-Pro seasons left in him, and other legends from around the NFL took notice.
Jerry Rice Demands 49ers Pursue Myles Garrett
In a recent Bay-area radio appearance, Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice discussed the idea of Garrett joining the San Francisco 49ers. Rice barely let the host finish his question before stating a strong case for the 49ers to acquire the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
.@JerryRice is all in on Myles Garrett, are you!?
➡️ @MorningRoast957 pic.twitter.com/4Ah71xCPCL
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) February 3, 2025
“That’s a dog. Hey, that’s a no-brainer. If you can get that dog, you go get him because it’s only going to add to that defense. And you win championships with defense. I don’t care how potent your offense is and how many points you’re putting up, you’ve got to be able to stop the opponent, and he would be a great part to doing that,” Rice said.
That’s a strong statement from a legendary receiver who won three Super Bowls with one of the league’s most prolific offensive systems. Garrett and Nick Bosa on the same defensive line would strike fear into opposing quarterbacks and play-callers.
With San Francisco bringing back Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator, what would Garrett bring to the “All gas, no brake” defense? To put it simply…a lot of sacks.
Garrett’s Career Path From No. 1 Overall Pick to Superstar
The Browns drafted Garrett No. 1 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft after going 1-15 the year prior. He came out of Texas A&M as a true junior, already labeled a “future Hall of Famer,” and announced himself with authority by sacking New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown on his first NFL play.
Garrett played 11 games as a rookie, collecting seven sacks on a winless Browns team. But it was only up from there for the defensive end.
Garrett’s sack total shot up to 13.5 in 2018, and he’s collected at least 10 each year since. The 2020 season saw Garrett lead the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 2002. He had 12 sacks in 14 games that regular season and was named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.
Before that season began, Cleveland signed Garrett to a five-year, $125 million extension, the biggest defensive player contract at the time. In three of the next four seasons, he was again named a first-team All-Pro while adding DPOY in 2023.
Since 2021, Garrett has collected 60 sacks and has solidified himself as one of the best defensive players of this generation. It’s an easy call for fans and former players to demand their team pursue the All-Pro, but it won’t be the simplest trade to pull off.
What could prevent the 49ers and other teams from trading for Garrett is his contract situation. The Browns have restructured Garrett’s deal multiple times, and being saddled with Deshaun Watson’s contract makes it tough for Cleveland to be cap-compliant even with Garrett potentially on a different team.
If the Browns get a trade done before June 1 his cap hit jumps from $19.7 million to over $36 million (not ideal). A post-June 1 trade would save Cleveland just under $5 million, but they’d carry over $20 million of dead money into the 2025 season.
The best move would be to trade Garrett before the fifth day of the league year, as they can save $18.541 million in cap space post-trade, and he has an option bonus due then worth that amount. If Cleveland trades Garrett before then or convinces him to move the date of the option bonus back, his cap hit would save around $1 million this year.
Garrett’s new team would take on the $18.54 million option bonus and his $1.255 million base salary, so his cap number for the new team would be around $4.5 million.
Expect more legends to urge their teams to pursue Garrett, but don’t be surprised when not many teams can afford his contract.