A trade of Myles Garrett to, say, Dallas would be a win-win-win for Garrett, the Cowboys and the Browns, who need to position themselves for the great QB draft of 2027. (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor’s note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
I’ve been saying that I don’t believe the Browns have an “April surprise” in store when it comes to the draft, but I’d be happy to be wrong.
The possibility of a bombshell trade of Myles Garrett increased when the Browns and Garrett agreed to move a $29.2 million option bonus due on Wednesday to seven days before the league season in September.
The contract modifications, exclusively reported by Field Yates of ESPN.com, include other complex details that benefit Garrett and the Browns – or, importantly, his next team.
According to two league sources, the out-of-the-blue contract modifications on a four-year extension signed a year ago essentially make Garrett easier to trade.
“All this does is make him tradeable if he agrees to waive a no-trade clause,” Jason Fitzgerald, owner of Overthecap.com, wrote in a text.
Now what?
As things stand, the Browns are in no-man’s land in the coming draft with the No. 6 and No. 24 picks.
There isn’t an offensive left tackle or wide receiver truly deserving of the No. 6 pick. And even if GM Andrew Berry skillfully maneuvers down, or up, or both, nothing he does on draft night is going to take the Browns out of quarterback purgatory.
Nothing is going to inspire fans or businesses to sign up for costly PSLs for the Brook Park stadium project now underway. Jimmy Haslam needs to create hope. Fast.
I recall the immortal words of Anthony Molina, the fictitious owner of the Browns in “Draft Day,” imploring GM Sonny Weaver, “I want a splash, Sonny. Make a splash.”
To his credit, Haslam stepped to the plate in 2022. In his words, he took a “swing and a miss” on the trade for Deshaun Watson. OK, fine. What does a slugger do after striking out? He steps to the plate and swings again. It’s time for that.
The Las Vegas Raiders’ proposed trade of Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks should have opened the Browns’ eyes and their minds to a lucrative trade market in place for Garrett.
It has been reported that the Dallas Cowboys made not one but two offers for Crosby. It also is commonly believed that the Philadelphia Eagles are hungry for an elite pass rusher.
All it takes is one team. Two teams give the Browns great leverage to pull off a bombshell trade that would ultimately position themselves for the 2027 QB draft, which analysts already are hyping as “historic.”
Hello, Jerry
Here’s how this can work.
The Cowboys own picks No. 12 and No. 20 in this year’s draft. They also have Green Bay’s No. 1 pick in the 2027 draft as a result of the Micah Parsons trade, but gave up their own No. 1 to the Jets for defensive tackle Quincy Williams. Terms of that trade guarantee the Jets the better of the No. 1s – whichever is higher between Dallas and Green Bay.
The key to a Garrett trade, of course, would be to secure an extra pick, or more, in 2027. So I would propose to the Cowboys a trade of their No. 12 this year and their remaining No. 1 next year, plus a player, for Garrett.
Jerry Jones is still feeling heat for trading Parsons, and he knows a new edge rusher – no, the best edge rusher of his generation – would quiet the critics and take his beleaguered defense to a much-needed new level.
Is the price tag a bit high? Well, here’s the kicker: Jimmy tells Jerry, “Either I trade the best pass rusher of our generation to you or I trade him to the Eagles. And you will never see another Super Bowl in your lifetime. Don’t be a donkey, Jerry.”
Win, win, win
What about that no-trade clause in Garrett’s contract? You don’t think he’d happily waive it to play for America’s Team -- literally in his hometown of Arlington, TX -- and compete for a Super Bowl?
Come to think of it, why haven’t we heard from Garrett at all since the season ended? And why did he agree to this recent contract restructure knowing it improves his tradeability?
So Garrett wins. And the Cowboys win.
And here’s how the Browns win.
Garrett’s a certifiable Hall of Famer. But in his eight seasons, the Browns are 58-74-1 for a .439 win percentage. (That’s better than what they accomplished during Hall of Famer Joe Thomas’ 11-year career -- 48-128 .272). Garrett will be 30 by season’s end. His trade value will never be higher.
The assets from a trade of Garrett must be channeled into the 2027 QB draft.
So the Browns could replace Garrett with, say, Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain with the No. 6 pick.
They could use No. 12 on a left tackle, presumably Monroe Freeling.
They could use No. 24 on a wide receiver or trade it to a team seeking to move up from the second round to take quarterback Ty Simpson and then choose the receiver with their extra second-round pick. Oh, that trade also should net a 2027 No. 2.
The Browns’ offense is turned over to Shedeur Sanders to keep fans interested in the 2026 season.
The buzz would carry into next year’s draft. No matter what the Browns’ final record in 2026, they would be armed with two No. 1s and possibly two No. 2s in 2027.
Why have the Browns proposed a rule change to include trades for up to five years of future draft picks, instead of the present three?
If needed, Jimmy could tack on a No. 1 in 2028 to the two in 2027 to move into position for one of the top QBs in the 2027 draft – Arch Manning, Dante Moore, LaNorris Sellers, C.J. Carr, Brendan Sorsby. Surely, they won’t all crap out, like the 2026 college class did.
To me, this is the Browns’ ticket out of no-man’s land.
Make a splash, Jimmy. Don’t be a donkey.