Hubris Howie Being Fed a Steady Diet of Rat Poison While His Cap Runneth Over

Isuppose when your general manager has reached celebrity status, is an elite member of the Ostentatious Ring Club, and is considered to be one phone call that you are not supposed to answer under any circumstances if you are an NFL G.M. then I guess it’s easy to see why your Eagles would end up in the Miles Garrett rumor mill even if your cap runneth over.

Here’s the skinny on Myles Garrett.  He and the Browns management are at an impasse but in the end the star player usually wins out.  Garrett has already said publicly he’s not going to play for the Browns this year.  He’s played in Cleveland for eight seasons, through a plethora of injuries mind you, and wants to chase a Superbowl ring.  He’s given the Cleveland organization everything he’s had since they drafted him number one overall in 2017. 

What Would Howie Do?

When in doubt just ask yourself W.W.H.D.  That’s easy.  Howie would trade the malcontent, take the cap hit and move on (See Carson Wentz trade).  The distasteful part for the Browns is that if they trade Garrett before June 1st the cap hit is $36.2 million in dead money. After June 1st it’s only $19.7 million.  But if they trade him after June 1st they won’t have the draft capital they would receive from another team acquired in a trade to use in the upcoming NFL draft next month. Why would you want a guy who’s so unhappy in your locker room?  He’s got two years left on his contract and his team finished 3-14 last year.  Move on.

Now since most teams might not even enter the Miles Garrett sweepstakes because they feel a Cleveland trade is unlikely, the smart and visionary teams with highly intelligent general managers with hyper-aggressive philosophies are the ones who are probably going to benefit from the situation.  

Teams that need one more game changer to possibly get them over the hump, would be the front runners I would think.  They’re the ones who feel that they are so close, that possibly overpaying for a Miles Garrett will result in a Lombardi trophy, one that has been eluding them because it’s the one deficiency in their roster keeping them from AFC supremacy.

 In a conference filled with superstar quarterbacks and explosive passing games, improving the pass rush is probably the Buffalo Bills’ best chance to get over the Chiefs hump.  It’s the one thing that can’t seem to be able to do and their playoff record against them reflects that. The Bills are 0-4 against Kansas City in the playoffs.  The only two AFC teams who have beaten K.C. in the postseason since Patrick Mahomes has been in charge of Andy Reid’s offense are the Patriots and the Bengals and right now there’s no better elite plug and play force for a dish rag pass rush than Myles Garrett.  The Bills tried it once before when they went out and acquired former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller but injuries and age were just too heavy of a reality to overcome, and the Miller plan never panned out in Buffalo.

The Bills’ defense finished the 2024 campaign slotted at 18th in PFSN’s Defense+ metric, making it obvious of their much-needed improvement. The reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles ranked second, while the runner-up Kansas City Chiefs placed at 14th.

The difference for the Chiefs is that Steve Spagnuolo calls the plays and schemes up creative blitzes. Meanwhile, first-year defensive coordinator Bobby Babich calls the plays for Buffalo’s defense.

The rumor mill has the Bills and the Birds as front-runners to make a push for Garrett.  

Reputation Rumor

I’m not sure how the Eagles worked their way into the Myles Garrett rumor mill because if the Birds were to trade for Garrett and sign him, he’d instantly become the highest non-paid quarterback in the league and despite clearing some cap room recently, “in order to take on that contract, they would have to get rid of other very big contracts of their own. Even the Eagles can’t just fit everybody they want.” said NFL Insider Ian Rapoport last week.

Rapoport didn’t stop there. He went on to say that “I would be very surprised if this happened. It is a great rumor; it’s a great rumor. But I’d be very surprised if this happened”.

Then today happened.  The Cincinnati Bengals have given the league’s leading-edge rusher, Trey Hendrickson, permission to seek a trade with free agency approaching. Hendrickson led the league this year with 17.5 sacks coming off a league leading 17.5 sack season last year.  The veteran defensive end also requested a trade ahead of the 2024 season, as he has been seeking more compensation due to his escalating production. 

Let’s face it if Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow could get out of his contract in Cincy he’d do it faster than a Ja’Marre Chase double move and go route.  Bengals owner Mike Brown, son of the late, great Paul Brown, has always been a notoriously thrifty one, the frugality of his top priority being the bottom line, which could be seen on Burrow’s face  while addressing the media following the tough losses he and his teammates had to endure this past season because of a defense held together with patch-work players making patch-work side-hustle salaries.

There will be landing spots for the four-time Pro Bowler even at 30 years old, in search of an elevated salary, even though Hendrickson is already owed more than $18 million this year.

If Myles Garrett’s off the field numbers don’t work for Howie Roseman how are Hendrickson’s numbers going to work in Philly?

Hubris Howie?

Hey but if anyone can make it work it’s Scarface Howie, but making it “work” might end up looking like Ruben Amaro Jr. announcing two years after the Phillies won the World Series in 2008 and went back to the Series in 2009,  that they acquired Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays for four prospects only to announce later that day that he traded their own former Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners, killing the Halladay buzz with one fell phone call.

Roseman is a smart guy but even he can get tipsy on his own clippings along with the accolades and national love bestowed upon him for some of his roster-building brilliance.  He’s been lauded for his brash and bold aggressiveness, creativity and foresight as well as his creative bookkeeping but for Eagles Nation’s sake, let’s just hope that he doesn’t feel compelled to make blockbuster moves because others now expect him to.  Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18

I hope Homerun Howie has learned something by watching how the Phillies play in October.  Homeruns are what the crowd comes to see.  They are explosive, exciting, and psychologically devastating to opposing pitchers.  They put a charge into the crowd and crooked numbers on the scoreboard.  Yes, homeruns in bunches will help you to win a few rounds.  But always swinging for the fences will ultimately get you a good seat on your couch to watch the World Series.  Yes, chicks definitely dig the long ball.  But they’d much rather have a ring.

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https://athlonsports.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/insider-updates-philadelphia-eagles-chances-myles-garrett-trade

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