Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, a six-time All-Pro, officially requested a trade on Monday. The NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, and a top candidate to win the award again in 2024, Garrett is a generational-type player at a premium position and still in his prime despite turning 29 years old last December.
Could general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay Packers be in the mix for a trade?
Some outside the building see the Packers as a top fit in a potential Garrett trade scenario.
Eric Edholm of NFL Media picked the Packers as one of the nine “best team fits” for Garrett, comparing the idea to the famous signing of Reggie White in 1993 that led to a Super Bowl title and noting the Packers’ need for pass-rushing help after a disappointing 2024 season disrupting quarterbacks.
Jacob Camenker of USA Today also identified the Packers as a top landing spot, especially when considering the potential pairing between Garrett and Rashan Gary and the team’s available cap space entering the offseason.
Adding Garrett — the game’s best pass-rusher — would instantly make the Packers one of the NFL’s top Super Bowl contenders in 2025 and give Jeff Hafley’s defense a chance to be a truly dominant unit.
Of course, there are obvious hurdles, especially when viewing a potential trade through a Packers lens. First, the Browns would have to be open to a trade involving one of the best players in football. The franchise has pushed back strongly against the idea of trading Garrett, so it’s possible this idea won’t get off the ground. Second, a trade for Garrett would cost considerable draft capital, likely including multiple first-round picks. Lastly, the Packers would have to be comfortable giving Garrett a market-resetting deal at edge rusher.
Edholm and Camenker also highlighted the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears as potential fits for Garrett, so it’s possible the Packers will have serious competition from the rest of the NFC North if the Browns decide to trade their superstar pass-rusher.
The idea is tantalizing — especially when considering the Reggie White parallels — but also probably unlikely. The Packers rarely pull off blockbuster trades featuring veteran players and significant draft capital, although the team was in the Khalil Mack sweepstakes in 2018. Completing a trade for Garrett in 2025 would be as shocking as the Packers once landing White, who shocked the football world when he signed in Green Bay as a highly coveted free agent 32 years ago. And it’s possible adding Garrett could do what hasn’t been done since 2010 and get the Packers back to the Super Bowl.