The Baltimore Ravens’ blockbuster deal for Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby on Friday has intensified speculation around another premier pass rusher.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and reigning single-season sack record holder, is once again at the center of trade conversations.
Bleacher Report analyst Gary Davenport published a piece this week projecting Garrett’s trade value and identifying the New England Patriots as a viable destination.
The proposed package would send two first-round picks and a third-round pick to Cleveland.
Davenport outlined the case for New England specifically, pointing to the Patriots’ recent Super Bowl LX loss to the Seattle Seahawks as confirmation of their contending status.
Under the deal Davenport outlined, Cleveland would receive New England’s 2026 first-round pick (No. 31), 2026 third-round pick (No. 95), and 2027 first-round pick in return for Garrett.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett
Nov 16, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) warms up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The 30-year-old has not hidden his intentions. Speaking to reporters earlier this year, Garrett said:
“I’m committed to winning. As long as the team and organization are doing so and they’re committed to that same thing, then I’m all on board. But if we’re thinking other than winning–tanking or rebuilding–that’s not me.”
Garrett: “I’m committed to winning. As long as the team and organization are doing so and they’re committed to that same thing, then I’m all on board. But if we’re thinking other than winning — tanking or rebuilding — that’s not me.” https://t.co/UAHOvbBleZ
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) January 2, 2026
New England head coach Mike Vrabel, who spent the 2024 season as a consultant with the Browns before taking the Patriots’ head coaching role, has organizational familiarity with Garrett and the Cleveland front office.
Cleveland Faces a $41 Million Dead Cap Problem With Any Trade
Moving Garrett is not a clean process for Cleveland. A trade would result in a dead cap hit of nearly $41 million for the Browns, per Spotrac, effectively erasing the team’s available cap space.
Cleveland currently holds around $15.8 million in cap space, per Over The Cap. Garrett’s reworked contract includes $30.5 million in guaranteed money in 2027 alone.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report suggested the Browns could be involved in a blockbuster trade that would send Myles Garrett to the New England Patriots for a 1st-round pick (No. 31) and a 3rd-round pick (No. 95) in 2026, and a 1st-round pick in 2027.
“A team would have to meet… pic.twitter.com/GaU9wZBEtl
— BrownsNation.com (@BrownsNationcom) March 8, 2026
Despite those complications, Davenport was clear in his piece that the asking price would still be significant:
“A team would have to meet certain requirements to make mortgaging its future in a Garrett trade palatable.”
New England’s pass rush was a documented weakness last season. The Patriots logged 35 sacks in the regular season, tied for the seventh-fewest in the league.
Cleveland Browns Myles Garrett
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) celebrates as he comes back on the field in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 18 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns at Paycor Stadium in Downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. The Browns kicked a last second field goal to win 20-18.
Harold Landry III, who posted 8.5 sacks in 2025, is expected to return. Fellow edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson is set to hit free agency, thinning the depth chart further.
With nearly $44 million in cap space, New England has the financial resources to absorb Garrett’s contract. The Patriots also know his capabilities firsthand: he had five sacks against them in their last meeting.
The financial weight of any deal makes a move difficult for Cleveland to justify right now. A franchise rebuilding under a new coaching staff cannot indefinitely resist trade conversations involving its most valuable asset.
For New England, a deal of this magnitude would signal that the Patriots are ready to look beyond the draft room and commit to a more urgent championship window.