When a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year asks to be traded, a team as “desperate” for game-wreckers as the Washington Commanders should take notice, but any deal for Cleveland Browns edge-rusher Myles Garrett would cost two premium draft picks.
That’s according to a trade scenario mapped out by The 33rd Team’s Tyler Brooke. He has the Commanders parting with a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, along with a first-rounder in 2026.
Brooke believes “there isn’t another team in a better position to take a swing on a future Hall of Famer than the Washington Commanders.” His belief is based on the rookie contract star quarterback Jayden Daniels is playing on, and the options his deal gives general manager Adam Peters for adding veteran talent to the roster.
As Brooke put it, “the Commanders have more financial flexibility than almost every NFL franchise. They have more than $78 million in cap space, and after making it to the NFC Championship, they’ll be incentivized to take some big swings this offseason to build a contender around their new franchise quarterback.”
There aren’t many veterans more talented than Garrett. The defensive end has 102 career sacks to his credit and would more than answer Washington’s desperation “for impact players on defense. The Commanders ranked 23rd in defensive DVOA, and only two players on the roster, Dante Fowler Jr. and Frankie Luvu, had more than five sacks this year. Garrett would be an instant impact player to lead Washington’s pass rush, opening up the rest of the defense for Dan Quinn.”
Perhaps the chance to get Garrett will be tempting enough for the Commanders to justify parting with two first-round picks. The player sounds open to any move away from the Browns, based on the statement he released on Monday, February 3 (h/t ESPN’s Adam Schefter): “The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl. With that in mind, I have requested to be traded from the Cleveland Browns.”
Putting Garrett into their defense would immediately transform a line weak on the edges. It would also make it more likely for the Commanders to avoid a sophomore slump after the instant turnaround inspired by Daniels this season.
Myles Garrett Would Be a Game-Changer for Commanders
The benefits of adding Garrett are obvious. He’s a bluechip pass-rusher who can keep pressure on the pocket and take over games.
Garrett is still doing those things, despite his unhappiness in Cleveland. Like when he recorded three first-half sacks, including this takedown of Russell Wilson, during a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12.
Games like that one are why Garrett has logged 14 sacks in each of the last two seasons. He also generated 44 pressures, 13 hurries and 17 QB knockdowns during the 2024 campaign, per Pro Football Reference.
Those numbers make the 2023 DPOY an attractive trade candidate for the Commanders. Especially when free agency retreads Dante Fowler Jr., Clelin Ferrell and Jalyn Holmes were key members of the defensive end rotation this season.
The problem is the potential cost of any deal for Garrett.
Trade Would Come at a High Price for Commanders
Schefter used Khalil Mack’s move from the then-Oakland Raiders to the Chicago Bears back in 2018 as a possible template, noting how “the Bears gave up two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick for Mack, a second-round pick, and a conditional fifth-round pick.”
There’s also the not-so small matter of how “any trade for Garrett could come with a massive extension attached to it,” according to Jon Hoefling of USA Today Sports. Hoefling detailed that Garrett’s “cap hit in 2025 will be over $19 million, while his hit in 2026 will be over $20 million.”
As for what an extension might look like, Hoefling thinks Garrett could “outearn” San Francisco 49ers edge defender Nick Bosa, who “holds the distinction of the largest edge rusher contract in NFL history at five years, $170 million. That’s an average annual value (AAV) of $35 million.”
Peters has the cap space to accommodate Garrett and work out the right extension, but what about the Commanders’ other needs? Pressing issues like adding more talent at cornerback, wide receiver and along the offensive line.
Free agency features bargains at cornerback and wide receiver that should interest the Commanders. Meanwhile, Mack’s potential availability on the veteran market could make him a cheaper alternative to Garrett.
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