Myles Garrett to the Buffalo Bills – What would be a possible trade scenario?

Myles Garrett has publicly requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns, and the Buffalo Bills should be one of many suitors. How does the All-Pro defensive end make his way to Western New York to join Josh Allen and compete for a Super Bowl?

On Monday morning, star DE Myles Garrett stunned the NFL world with his open trade request. It’s no wonder that the Buffalo Bills, alongside just about every other team in the NFL, would express some interest in one of the hottest trade prospects in recent history. Myles Garrett just became the second player in NFL history to rack up 12+ sacks in 5+ consecutive seasons. The accolade, shared only by Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, is just a microcosm of the impact he has on the field.

Truly, he is in a class of his own in the modern era. What would it take to bring him to Buffalo? A notable difference-maker who longs for the big stage, and a position of need for the Bills – a match made in heaven.

Mutual Interest – Browns, Bills, Garrett

For starters, Myles Garrett would have to agree to a destination in order to make a deal happen. Cleveland has the authority to trade him without permission, as he does not have a no-trade clause in his contract, but any deal made is likely to include a massive extension.

Any team committing to the trade would need confirmation that Garrett is on board to sign an extension. Buffalo has shown willing to make an investment in a difference-maker, proven by the contract they gave to DE Von Miller. Before his injury in year one of that deal, Miller was producing at an excellent rate – Buffalo would be happy to make that deal again if Garrett is the target.

As for the interest of Myles Garrett himself, it’s a no-brainer. In his statement, noted above, he doesn’t believe the opportunity to win a Super Bowl will come to him on the Browns. It’s a likely truth, as the Browns have buried themselves under the rubble of the Deshaun Watson contract, amongst other blunders.

Handcuffed to an incapable quarterback and weighed down by the weight of his deal, Cleveland will simply have to honour Myles Garrett’s request eventually. When they do, the Buffalo Bills should have an offer waiting.

For the Cleveland Browns, the removal of Myles Garrett from this roster is simply the acknowledgement of a rebuild. It’s the white towel, thrown in. To admit that Deshaun Watson was a failed experiment that earned them league-wide ridicule and unending direspect and disgust is simply the truth.

Cleveland has no clean way out of this offseason, with a hit of $72.9m for Watson, and another nine players hitting from $11-25m all on the salary cap. It will be shocking, devastating, and inevitable. Myles Garrett is already gone, and the Browns are simply playing the game by pretending they won’t part ways.

If they want to spread out the cap hit that comes with trading Garrett, they can trade him after June 1st. It would save just under $5m on the season; Spreading his $35m dead cap charge out through next year. If they clean house and trade him before June 1st, his cap hit would jump to $36.2m this season before the Browns were free of his impact. It would take a hefty package on either side to force Cleveland’s hand. Still, someone will pay that price.

A Proposed Trade Package

In terms of draft capital, the Buffalo Bills would need to be aggressive. Cleveland would ideally send Garrett to the NFC. To give him to a contender in the AFC, it would take a king’s ransom. To keep him from the Bills’ competitors could take more again. The package starts with a first-round pick; It’s non-negotiable. Myles Garrett’s impact is undeniable and Cleveland is killing both it’s team and remining salary cap to make the deal happen.

The Browns are financially ruined already, multiple draft picks will be required to dig them out of that hole. If they intend to rebuild their team from the ground up, as would be necessary, we can look at a three-pick minimum. The Bills would be sending at least a first-rounder and two other picks, regardless of the trade happening pre or post-June 1st.

Ideally, in these scenarios, the Bills could use the opportunity to move a contract of their own, but there are no players with sensible trade benefit to the Browns that don’t further complicate their money problems. As Chris Trapasso states above, Greg Rousseau is an example of a name that would work in this scenario, but the money isn’t right for either franchise. Truly, no notable player but Garrett makes sense to move in this deal.

So, Buffalo is committed to a minimum of one first-rounder, as well as two more picks to broaden the impact of this trade for Cleveland. Assuming this deal happens before the 2025 NFL Draft, those picks would be Buffalo’s 2025 1st-rounder, plus one of the Bills’ two 2025 2nd-round picks, to still allow Buffalo a selection in the first two days of the draft this season. Still, for an impact player at a premium position coming off an unprecedented five-season stretch and in good health with multiple years remaining on his contract, it’s just not even close to enough.

The draft picks would have to shed into the 2026 NFL Draft to hold enough value. The Bills 2026 2nd-rounder, alongside their 3rd-round selection, would probably be enough to avoid having to commit the 2026 first-round pick to the deal. If Buffalo can swing an additional late-round pick to balance the personnel somewhat, as Brandon Beane so often does, the deal could look like this:

The Money Talks

It’s the sort of deal that reshapes franchises, though likely Cleveland more than Buffalo. Still, another matter remains unaddressed. The new contract for Myles Garrett, as would have to be agreed upon shortly after the trade.

His new contract would have to make him the highest-paid defensive lineman in NFL history, again. Much like with quarterbacks, if you have a defensive end that plays at a top-five level, you pay them top-one money. Currently, 49ers DE Nick Bosa owns that honour. His contract, signed at age 25, have a $34m AAV (average annual value).

It’s something the Buffalo Bills would likely have to exceed. Paying Garrett $35-36m annually on a minimum of a four-season contract is a huge commitment. Buffalo would have to agree to that sort of money prior to getting the trade paperwork filed. Garrett is an exceptional player, and playing the best football of his life at age 29.

Rework his contract into a five-year deal, and pay him $35m annually in mostly new money for the final four years of that revised contract. The dead money Cleveland puts to Myles Garrett’s relocation keeps him a minimal cap hit in his first season, allowing Buffalo to adjust in 2025 for the inevitable cap crunch 2026 provides.

Garrett earns substantially more than he negotiated for in his early departure from Cleveland, and the transition to the Buffalo Bills is smooth, with money flowing into his pockets. That long-awaited chance to compete for a Super Bowl directly in his sights, who says no? Not to mention, Brandon Beane just talked about adding a game-wrecker and how he would absolutely love to add one. Well, Garrett might be available for Beane to go acquire.