Myles Garrett has been a topic of discussion among Chicago Bears fans for what feels like forever. It is clear that the superstar defensive end is unhappy. Despite putting together an all-time great career as a pass rusher, the Cleveland Browns have continuously bungled their opportunities to build a winner. Last season might’ve been the last straw. Garrett turned 30 years old in December. His prime won’t last much longer, and now the Browns are about to enter another rebuilding phase with a new head coach and no clear quarterback.
It feels like the perfect time for him to push for a trade. While nothing has been spoken publicly, there are rumors that Garrett and the organization haven’t been in contact since the season ended. That by itself doesn’t say much, but Cleveland just sent up a flare with the latest news. According to Field Yates of ESPN, the team has modified Garrett’s contract to gain some cap flexibility and provide their star with additional benefits. However, a closer inspection makes the intention far clearer.
That contract is now significantly more tradeable.
Myles Garrett has suddenly become possible for the Bears.
While the compensation to acquire the future Hall of Famer would almost certainly be two 1st round picks and more, the contract was always the biggest obstacle. Chicago has been up against the cap since the offseason began, and that hasn’t changed despite moves aimed at gaining flexibility. With Garrett suddenly only costing $9 million against the cap this year, it wouldn’t be a huge task for the Bears to create enough space for him. They could restructure two of their veteran contracts to make room for both him and the upcoming draft class without hurting their future finances.
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His cap number for the next three seasons is plenty affordable. The Bears wouldn’t have to make any decisions until 2029. By then, it would likely be far more possible to release him without a doomsday dead money hit. So is the idea worth it? There are precious few players in the NFL like Myles Garrett. We’re talking about one of the greats of the sport. Bruce Smith and Reggie White levels of ability. White was 32 when the Green Bay Packers signed him. Everybody remembers how that went. Garrett is one of the few talents who can instantly transform a defense.
We already know the Bears have explored this.
Right before they traded for Joe Tryon-Shoyinka last year, it was reported they asked about Garrett. Unsurprisingly, the Browns said no. The pass rusher was in the middle of chasing the single-season NFL sack record and Cleveland no doubt hoped he’d break it in a Browns uniform. Things have changed since then. Everybody has accepted that their window of opportunity to chase a Super Bowl likely closed. Deshaun Watson isn’t ever going to regain his old form. Shedeur Sanders is a forlorn hope. If Cleveland hopes to get a serious return in a trade, it must be done now.
This contract maneuver is a first step. Now, more teams should be interested in making a deal happen. Ironically, the Bears might be better positioned than most because they were the only team that hadn’t made any significant additions to the position. Dallas traded for Rashan Gary. Baltimore signed Trey Hendrickson. Philadelphia added Arnold Ebiketie and is rumored to be a favorite for Jonathan Greenard. The competition is much thinner than it would’ve been a month ago.
