Dan Orlovsky Sees A Vikings Path To Myles Garrett
Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
The NFL world was set ablaze yesterday morning when Myles Garrett requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns. Garrett, one of the best defensive players in the NFL over the last decade, would be an automatic upgrade to any defensive line he joins.
While the Minnesota Vikings don’t have a pressing need in their front seven, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky believes the Vikings have the resources to pull off a trade for the superstar edge rusher.
“That’s why I go to Minnesota,” Orlovsky said. “I go to Minnesota because if you’re the Browns, and you sit there and go, ‘No, those quarterbacks, we don’t like them. Myles wants to be out. We don’t want to trade him, but we have to get a quarterback.’
If the Vikings are reserved to sit there and go, ‘You know what, we do want to re-sign Sam Darnold, and that does give us some flexibility with J.J. McCarthy.’ Then if you’re Cleveland, and you really liked McCarthy, and you like them better than the quarterbacks that are coming out, then Minnesota becomes the team that you can at least fill that massive void. Does it go McCarthy and [Andrew] Van Ginkel for Myles Garrett? Those are obviously bigger pictures, but I think Minnesota is the team that has at least that quarterback situation.”
I, of course, understand why Skol Nation would want a player like Garrett. Any fan base would want a player like him. He’s a game wrecker of a defensive end and causes problems for any offensive tackle that has the unenviable task of lining up against him. Even with the lack of overall success in Cleveland, the Browns have gotten every bit of their money’s worth in Cleveland.
However, the Browns have shown little to no willingness to move on from Garrett. It would take a king’s ransom to pry Garrett from Cleveland, though probably nothing compared to, say, three first-round picks, a third-round pick, and two fourth-round picks.
From Cleveland’s standpoint, the ideal situation is that a team desperate for an instant pass rush would sell the house for Garrett. The Vikings, who ranked fifth in the NFL in sacks and second in rushing yards allowed per game, are not one of those teams.
The “Will your team trade for Myles Garrett?” tier list pic.twitter.com/sOUDYxI94q
— Alex Schubert (@alexschubes) February 3, 2025
While he would improve the Vikings’ (or anyone else’s) defense next year, Jonathan Greenard and Van Ginkel were two of the top three players in sacks in the NFC last season. Garrett would be more of a luxury than a necessity, and a costly one at that. The Browns would likely ask for loads of draft capital and then some to acquire Garrett’s services, and rightfully so. While none of this is to say that Garrett, Greenard, and Van Ginkel wouldn’t lead to a sequel of the Purple People Eaters, it’s not worth sacrificing the draft capital, especially as the J.J. McCarthy Era is set to begin.
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