The Bills Are Contenders For Myles Garrett, But Does It Matter?
Credit: Lon Horwedel via Imagn Images
It’s been a wild week in the world of sports. First, NBA rolled out a jaw-dropping trade that sent Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, then the San Antonio Spurs acquired De’Aaron Fox in a three-team trade with the Sacramento Kings and the Chicago Bulls.
But the NFL isn’t used to being outdone, and they’ve responded by having star players of their own on the trade block. The Los Angeles Rams are looking for a team willing to absorb Cooper Kupp’s contract, and Cleveland Browns star edge rusher Myles Garrett wants out of Cleveland.
Garrett released the following statement on Monday: “As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl — and that goal fuels me today more than ever. My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today. 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. 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.”
"[The Browns] are sticking to their stance and do not intend to have any conversations or trade [Myles] Garrett."@MikeGarafolo with the latest on the blockbuster trade request. pic.twitter.com/n17YSzcSsc
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 3, 2025
Unfortunately for Garrett, the Browns currently have no intention of trading him any time soon. One could argue that Cleveland’s front office is posturing here to maximize their return in a trade, but it may not be a bluff. Recently, Garrett was nominated by fellow players as the Sporting News’ NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Garrett already has a ton of trade value, so there’s no need for posturing here. So while the Buffalo Bills are considered a frontrunner for Garrett, how much does that matter?
Buffalo would be an ideal landing spot for Garrett. The former Defensive Player of the Year wants to be traded to a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and the Bills are coming off their second AFC Championship appearance in the last five years. Although Buffalo’s defense has some talented edge rushers like A.J. Epenesa, Greg Rousseau, and Von Miller, they lack a complete game-wrecker at the position. Garrett offers the Bills a chance to add a generational talent and future first-ballot Hall of Famer who at 29 years old in the middle of his prime.
Logistically speaking, the Bills have all the necessary resources to make a very appealing offer for Myles Garrett. Buffalo holds the 30th overall pick, along with two second-round picks (56th and 62nd overall), two fourth-rounders, two fifth-rounders, and three sixth-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Although Buffalo has negative $14.6 million of effective cap space this offseason, releasing Miller would save the Bills $8.4 million, and they could easily restructure some contracts to accommodate Garrett’s $5 million cap hit.
On the other end, acquiring Myles Garrett via trade would be affordable for a new team. He's due almost $45M over 2 seasons, & the void years would be remain to place his cap numbers at almost $5M in 2025 and almost $9.8M in 2026. But a $30M dead charge in 2027 unless extended.
— Nick Korte (@nickkorte) February 3, 2025
However the likelihood of the Browns trading Garrett before the draft is rather low. The Browns organization is already dealing with the public relations nightmare from the Deshaun Watson saga. There are a lot of fans in Cleveland who want general manager Andrew Berry fired after overpaying for Watson, a massive disappointment both on and off the field, both in terms of draft capital and dollars. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has remained steadfast in his support for Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski, despite the public outrage.
Berry and Stefanski may have survived the Watson saga, but trading Myles Garrett would put even more public pressure on Haslam to fire both of them. If there’s one thing you should know about Haslam, it’s that he’s extremely easily influenced by outside sources. An anonymous league executive once told The Athletic:
“Jimmy speaks to a zillion people about anything and everything with no ability to figure out who knows what they are talking about and who doesn’t. Even when he’s talking to someone really smart, he doesn’t have the ability to figure out, ‘what is the width of their expertise?’ He fails at that miserably and it’s a terrible message to the people who are actually working for him. It gives the impression he has no faith in management and coaches. Once you have them looking over their shoulders, you don’t have effective managers or coaches anymore.”
Essentially, if the Browns were to trade Garrett, everyone from the general public to Haslam’s wide array of outside advisors would likely echo the same sentiment: that he needs to fire Berry and Stefanski. It wouldn’t take very long for Haslam to cave under the pressure and make drastic changes, which is why it’s in Berry and Stefanski’s best interests to decline any and all trade offers for the former DPoY.
Cleveland’s best path moving forward would be to draft either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders with the second overall pick, move on from Watson as quickly as possible, and try to rebuild their roster in one offseason. Berry and Stefanksi need to somehow convince Garrett that the Browns have a plan in place to quickly retool and compete for a playoff berth in the AFC. It’s a tough sell, but the team’s success in 2025 and their job security are both entirely dependent on Garrett staying with the Browns.
So while the Bills have all the necessary assets to make a huge swing at Garrett, it really doesn’t matter at this juncture. The Bills have a better chance of acquiring Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, given the Bengals’ precarious cap situation. Ultimately, it takes two to tango and the Browns are currently unwilling to entertain offers for their superstar. At least, for the time being…
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