Former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett has formally requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns. On Monday, he released a statement asking to be moved from the team that drafted him in 2017.
That has generated buzz and excitement throughout the NFL that one of the best players in the league could potentially be made available. The New England Patriots have a promising young quarterback, a hot-shot new head coach and the most cap space in the league.
Should they be interested?
For starters, everyone should be interested in a player of Garrett’s caliber potentially joining their team. He’s an immediate impact player and a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. Few players in NFL history have been able to take over and dominate a game on the defensive side of the ball like Garrett.
The Patriots are in desperate need of a pass-rushing spark, and adding a player like that to the mix would be a drastic upgrade on defense.
But why would Garrett choose New England? That’s the tough question Patriots fans have to ask themselves. The timing isn’t great considering the team has missed the playoffs in the last three straight seasons.
They are greatly positioned to turn things around starting this year, but it’s hard to imagine Garrett, who is 29 years old, wanting to risk his last remaining prime years on a rebuilding team.
“The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl,” Garrett wrote in his statement.
New England should still make the call and present a worthy pitch. The Washington Commanders showed what the right moves as an organization could do for a talented rookie quarterback. Jayden Daniels helped carry the struggling franchise to an NFC Championship Game in his first year with the team.
There’s hope that the Patriots could contend right away if they knock their decisions out of the park in free agency and the 2025 NFL draft.
Garrett joining a defensive line unit with a returning Christian Barmore, Davon Godchaux and Keion White would be terrifying for opposing offenses.
However, for that to happen, the Browns would have to be willing to trade him, which they haven’t shown any interest in doing so far, and Garrett would have to sign off on the team trading for him. That’s a complex move that needs a lot to happen. It’s a long-shot possibility for the Patriots, make no mistake.
But it’s still a shot they must consider taking.
