NBA and NFL fans are overwhelmed by trade news in recent days, as Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings All-Star De’Aaron Fox was traded to the San Antonio Spurs.
Now, the attention is shifting back to football. Cleveland Browns superstar edge rusher and former No. 1 pick Myles Garrett formally requested a trade. A plethora of teams will certainly attempt to acquire him, as he can take a playoff-level defense to a championship-winning one.
However, acquiring Garrett is easier said than done. Before examining exactly how many hoops a team must jump through to receive the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, let’s take a look at five of the best destinations for him.
5 Best Destinations for Myles Garrett
It’s worth noting the price tag for Garrett is a first and second-round pick, or a first-round pick and two third-round selections plus a player, according to an NFL GM who spoke with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are seemingly always one piece away from taking down the Kansas City Chiefs and reaching the Super Bowl.
A defensive superstar with 14 or more sacks in four consecutive seasons could be just that. Buffalo’s defense ranked No. 18 in PFN’s Defense+ metric, which Garrett could potentially boost into the top 10.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons’ defense was among the worst in the league last season while quarterback Kirk Cousins crumbled, leading to his eventual benching.
If Garrett believes in his ability to bring Atlanta’s defense to a Super Bowl level and holds trust in sophomore QB Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons could be his next home.
There are promising pieces all over the field for Atlanta, and Garrett could bring the roster together.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers got bounced out of the playoffs by the NFC’s Super Bowl representative, the Philadelphia Eagles. In Garrett’s trade request, he wrote, “The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl.”
Green Bay’s front office shares this vision and, like the Falcons, has the pieces necessary to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Detroit Lions
When talking about a team with Super Bowl expectations, the Lions are one of the first to come to mind. Surprising when thinking about their franchise history, but ironically they reverted to that form when it mattered most.
Detroit fell short to the Washington Commanders but still has one of the strongest rosters in the NFL.
Washington Commanders
If the Lions’ playoff choke job scared off Garrett, why not go to the team that defeated him? The Commanders made a surprise run to the NFC Championship and are home to arguably the greatest rookie QB of all-time, Jayden Daniels. Their pass rush and run defense was one of the biggest factors to their eventual loss against the Eagles.
How Does a Team Land Garrett?
It is going to be really hard for the Browns to trade him financially. His cap hit would go from $19.722 million to over $36 million with a pre-June 1 trade. If they trade him after June 1, they would save just under $5 million ($4,963,225). However, the Browns would then carry over a $20 million dead money number in 2025.
The team also has -$27.5 million in cap space right now. They will clear a lot of that if they can void Watson’s deal or get cap credits, but they need that just to be cap compliant, without adding more than $17 million in dead money by trading their best player.
If the Browns can trade him before the fifth day of the league year, they can save $18.54M in cap space post-trade. He has an option bonus due then worth that amount. If they trade him before that date, or convince him to move the date of the option bonus back, his cap hit would basically be a saving of around a million this year.
The new team would take on the $18.54 million option bonus and his $1.255 million base salary. His cap number for the new team would be around $4.5 million.