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Myles Garrett sounded the alarm that he wants out from the Cleveland Browns. Garrett took to social media to ask for a trade on Monday. The All-Pro edge rusher officially rises as the hottest trade candidate for the NFL offseason, and the New England Patriots should be plotting ahead.
“While I’ve loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won’t allow me to be complacent,” Garrett wrote in his statement. “The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl.”
Garrett concluded his letter by saying “With that in mind, I have requested to be traded from the Cleveland Browns.”
Many fans and analysts will look at the Patriots as a rebuilding project for Garrett. However, the Pats rise as one of the more attractable suitors for the ultra-productive edge rusher.
The Patriots are beyond healthy in salary cap space. The franchise has more than $120 million in cap room for 2025. That figure gives the Pats the most salary cap space among NFL teams this offseason, per Over the Cap.
Garrett’s contract contains a $19.7 million cap hit. Plus comes with more than $36.2 million in dead cap according to Spotrac.
New England has the financial flexibility to take on Garrett’s massive deal. But can attempt to restructure his contract and add intriguing pieces around Garrett.
The Patriots have their selling points for Garrett. New head coach Mike Vrabel comes with his own edge rushing background, as a versatile Super Bowl winning defender in Foxborough. Vrabel will be relatable to the Browns star. New England’s new coaching leader isn’t just a franchise legend. Vrabel owns a strong history of producing playoff teams, including one AFC title game run, at his last stop with Tennessee.
But there’s more elements the Pats can use in their potential recruiting sales pitch to Garrett. New England has its quarterback of the future in Drake Maye — who completed 66.6% of his throws and tossed 15 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez is one other young building block for the Patriots. He’ll need a dominating pass rusher to increase his interceptions and pass breakup totals moving forward.
Lastly, the Patriots enter the 2025 NFL Draft with deep draft capital. They have nine draft picks for the upcoming April event thanks to previous trade deals with the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers. New England even holds eight selections for the 2026 draft. New England has options to sacrifice on the draft side.
Cleveland likely wants a boatload for Garrett as the Browns soon listen to trade offers. High draft picks likely get sacrificed here. Still, the Patriots have lots of leverage to pull off a trade for Garrett.
The Browns already hold the No. 2 overall selection come April 25 in Green...
