“Myles Garrett Did Browns a Huge Favor”: NFL Insider Explains How the DE’s Trade Request Eased GM Andrew Berry’s Job

Since the Cleveland Browns rejoined the NFL ranks in 1999, they’ve posted the fewest wins in the league (just 141, about 5.4 per season). That is a staggering 21 fewer than the next-worst team, the Houston Texans, who didn’t even join the league until 2002. That’s why it’s almost surprising that Myles Garrett is the first Browns player in a while to request a trade. While that may seem like a bad thing, it could actually be a positive for the franchise.

It could be a boon for Browns general manager Andrew Berry, especially. Berry has been adamant in recent weeks that he has no plans to trade Garrett. But such a move would be in the rebuilding team’s best interest, as Garrett is by far the most valuable trade asset they could move to bootstrap their rebuild.

As Daniel Jeremiah pointed out on The Rich Eisen Show, Garrett’s trade request has essentially shielded Berry from any criticism he might have received from the dedicated Dawg Pound fanbase for eventually trading the future Hall of Famer anyway.

“I think Myles Garrett did them a huge favor. Because I do think it’s in their best interest to trade him. But if he doesn’t demand a trade, and you trade him, you’re gonna have a big section of the fanbase, and having worked there, I know how this is in Cleveland because the team success hasn’t been there, they’re very attached to their guys.”

There’s no doubt about Garrett’s prowess or build. Standing at 6’4″ and weighing 272 pounds of chiseled muscle, he boasts a litany of excellent pass-rush moves, plays the run well, has a great twitch, and knows how to shed blocks.

Since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2017, he has accumulated 102.5 sacks, the second-highest total in the league, 19.5 more than the next-best player. His 200 QB hits also lead the league, and his 116 TFLs rank second only to Aaron Donald.

Everyone will want a piece of this guy. But the financials and the potential destination’s current trajectory—which is likely to be a deal-breaker for many, as Garrett was adamant that his trade request centered around joining a team with Super Bowl aspirations—has definitely reduced the field of suitors.

Chiefs are among frontrunners in Myles Garrett sweepstakes

That field has not been reduced to nothing. There are some teams out there that can check all the boxes for a Garrett trade. In fact, some sportsbooks have already started posting betting odds on where Garrett will end up. And wouldn’t you know it, the team pushing for a three-peat this weekend is the front-runner to land the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

That would truly be a depressing “the rich get richer” scenario for the rest of the league. However, we’re not sure the Kansas City Chiefs have the financial capacity to pull the deal off. Garrett will be looking for a new extension that will make him the highest-paid edge rusher in the league at $35 million a year.

The Chiefs are already paying massive sums to Travis Kelce, Jawaan Taylor, Joe Thuney, Patrick Mahomes, and Chris Jones. That last one is especially notable. It would be hard to believe that K.C. would shell out nearly $70 million a year for two defensive linemen. No matter how important they are.

The Washington Commanders, on the other hand, could be an intriguing option. They certainly have Super Bowl aspirations now, and with a few more years of Jayden Daniels on a rookie deal, they have tons of cap space to play with. The 3rd-most for 2025, to be exact.

A few other teams that have a little more financial flexibility than the Chiefs but that also offer the same Super Bowl potential for Myles Garrett include the Detroit Lions (10th-most cap in 2025), the Los Angeles Chargers (5th-most), and the Cincinnati Bengals (9th-most cap in 2025).