4 NFL Offseason Trades to Rescue Myles Garrett From Browns

The Cleveland Browns are preventing Myles Garrett from reaching his true potential.

While the edge-rusher is having another phenomenal individual campaign, he remains stuck on a rudderless team that has little hope of contending.

It would be a crying shame for one of the game's all-time greats to continue tallying world-class personal marks while never having the opportunity to play in a conference championship game, let alone a Super Bowl, due to an inept owner and front office.

Although Garrett has at least made a pair of playoff appearances during his first eight years in the league—and even helped the Browns win a wild-card contest in 2020, the organization's lone postseason victory since 1994—it's all but guaranteed he's going to miss out again in 2025.

With Cleveland having far more questions than answers at the quarterback position and trending towards another rebuild after this lost season, it's past time a competitive organization swoops in and save Garrett from this miserable situation.

Garrett's frustrations with the Browns boiled over in February when he made a public trade request. He released a statement that detailed his strong desire to "compete on the biggest stages," but ultimately relented when he agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $160 million. That record-setting deal could keep him in Cleveland through an age-35 campaign in 2030.

Unfortunately for Garrett, he's currently at the peak of his powers and would be immensely costly for any Super Bowl hopeful to acquire—especially after the Browns reportedly strongly rebuffed inquiries for his services at the recent trade deadline.

The six-time Pro Bowler is trending towards earning his second Defensive Player of the Year award in three years while making a run at the single-season sack record, needing just eight over the last seven games to break a mark that has stood for over two decades.

With that in mind, let's look at a few hypothetical trade packages from winning organizations that might finally convince Cleveland to part ways with Garrett.

Chicago Bears

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Bears receive: Edge Myles Garrett

Browns receive: 2026 1st-Round Pick, 2026 2nd-Round Pick, 2027 1st-Round Pick, 2027 4th-Round Pick

The Bears are having a resurgent season, jumping out to a 7-3 record and first place in the NFC North under new head coach Ben Johnson.

While Chicago is on pace to make its first playoff appearance since 2020, it could still benefit from adding an elite defender like Garrett.

The Bears defense rates near the bottom in the league in both total and scoring defense, allowing a concerning 364.6 yards and 26.4 points per game. The team has mustered just 21 sacks on the year—only seven more than Garrett himself has collected in 2025.

Having a sack artist like Garrett in the defensive trenches would instantly elevate the Bears to the upper echelon of NFL defenses and further improve their fast-rising Super Bowl odds.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Chicago already tried making a run at Garrett during the leadup to the 2025 trade deadline. It's unknown what Bears general manager Ryan Poles put on the table, but Schefter described it as an "aggressive" offer.

If the Bears are serious about bringing Garrett into the fold, they'll need to offer up a package headline by two first-round picks with additional Day 2 and 3 capital included to sweeten the pot.

Detroit Lions

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Lions receive: Edge Myles Garrett

Browns receive: 2026 1st-Round Pick, 2026 2nd-Round Pick, 2026 4th-Round Pick, 2027 1st-Round Pick, 2027 3rd-Round Pick

The long-suffering Lions have been knocking on the Super Bowl door recently but haven't been able to punch a ticket to the big game.

Detroit came painfully close two seasons ago and seemed to be trending towards another deep playoff run last year before injury attrition took its toll on the roster.

Picking up a player like Garrett would give Detroit the firepower it needs on the defensive side of the ball to become a heavy Super Bowl favorite. It would also allow them to withstand losses to the likes of Aidan Hutchinson, whose absence for much of the 2024 campaign and subsequent playoffs doomed the team's title hopes.

While the Lions have been built via the draft during the Brad Holmes era, the general manager would be wise to deviate from the plan if it results in a future Hall of Fame edge-rusher donning a Honolulu Blue jersey.

Detroit already has one of the most ferocious pass-rushing groups in the NFL, a unit that has racked up 31 sacks on the year and has limited opposing signal-callers to a mere 192.1 yards per game. While these are great marks, they would almost certainly improve to league-leading numbers with Garrett lining up across from Hutchinson.

It would be worth the armada of draft selections the Lions would need to give up to build the best possible counter to the elite quarterbacks they will be facing on their way to hanging a banner.

New England Patriots

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Patriots receive: Edge Myles Garrett

Browns receive: 2026 1st-Round Pick, 2026 3rd-Round Pick, 2027 1st-Round Pick, 2027 3rd-Round Pick

The Patriots are one of the biggest surprises of the 2025 season, jumping out to the best record in the league after two consecutive four-win campaigns.

While New England is set to snap a three-season playoff drought, there's still some improvements that could push the organization to perennial Super Bowl contender status.

One of New England's more glaring issues this year has been an inability to limit opposing quarterbacks. The team has allowed 215.9 yards per game and given up 19 touchdowns through the air, numbers that a superstar pass-rusher like Garrett would instantly improve.

It helps that the Patriots are well-positioned to splurge during the upcoming offseason. They dumped some salary and added more draft capital at the deadline, giving the club more flexibility to swing a big trade.

With over $64 million in projected cap space for the 2026 campaign and 11 picks in the upcoming draft, the Pats can comfortably make a run at Garrett when the new league year begins.

It may take four Day 1 and 2 picks—which are set to fall near the end of the round—spread across the next two drafts to get the job done, but Garrett would have a transformational effect on New England's defense and a real opportunity to win a ring.

Philadelphia Eagles

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

Eagles receive: Edge Myles Garrett

Browns receive: 2026 1st-Round Pick, 2027 1st-Round Pick, 2029 1st-Round Pick

According to Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson, the Eagles were reportedly willing to give as many as three first-round picks up for Garrett at the trade deadline.

Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot had sources refute Philadelphia bringing that strong of an offer to the table, but there's every reason to believe the Eagles would greatly benefit from bringing Garrett into the mix.

The Super Bowl champions are mounting a shaky title defense. The squad is still atop the NFC standings with an 8-2 record but hasn't been nearly as dominant in 2025 as it was last year.

While many of these woes are on the offensive end—Philadelphia is averaging 300.1 yards and 23.4 points per game, down significantly from the 367.2 yards and 27.2 points the squad posted last year—the Eagles defense hasn't been perfect, either.

After rating as the league's top total defense in 2024, Philly has fallen to the middle of the pack in that category. The club also took a step back in sacks and has accumulated a lowly 21 across the first 10 games of 2025.

If the Eagles continue to struggle and crash out of the playoffs early, Garrett would be the perfect addition to help this squad return to prominence in 2026.

It would likely cost Philadelphia something in the neighborhood of the trio of firsts it was rumored to be interested in giving up, but the prospects acquired from those late-in-the-round choices would have a tough time collectively making anywhere close to the impact Garrett would on the organization.