From the start, the conversation has never been particularly realistic, but the idea that the Detroit Lions might manage to trade with the Cleveland Browns for superstar EDGE Myles Garrett has certainly been a significant topic of discussion. Since Garrett requested the Browns to trade him earlier this offseason, various scenarios have circulated among both fan bases.
Following separate addresses by Lions GM Brad Holmes and his Cleveland counterpart, Andrew Berry, at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, any lingering hopes or dreams of Garrett joining Detroit should be discarded. Both GMs extinguished any glimmer of hope that Lions fans might still cling to for obtaining Garrett.
Holmes didn’t confront Garrett (or Las Vegas star Maxx Crosby) head-on, but his meaning was evident when he replied to a question regarding securing Detroit’s own superstar pass rusher, Aidan Hutchinson.
“It’s difficult to obtain those individuals and challenging to retain them financially,” Holmes stated. “Once more, we have one that requires an extension, and we’ve somewhat begun the planning phases concerning him already.”
Therefore, when you consider adding another one, it’s like, ‘Okay, can you afford to add another one?’ You want to place the additional one over everything else you already possess, which complicates matters.
The subsequent inquiry posed was: Is it possible for the Lions to secure another top-tier talent after signing Hutchinson?
“Likely not,” Holmes replied.
Now addressing the Cleveland perspective…
Here’s what Berry remarked regarding the idea of trading Garrett during his time at the podium in Indianapolis,
“He plays a significant role in our organization.” He is a truly great individual and an amazing player. We comprehend the trade request and all that, yet our position truly remains the same. We cannot conceive of a scenario in which Myles not being part of the organization is optimal for the Browns.
It doesn’t get more straightforward than this from Berry, who has consistently been a quite transparent and straightforward GM regarding his thought processes. Dealing Garrett would set the Browns back about $36 million in salary cap for 2025, rendering it almost financially unfeasible to trade the four-time All-Pro, even if the Browns planned to respect Garrett’s trade request.
Berry also mentioned that NFL teams aren’t required to fulfill trade requests,
“Trade requests occur constantly throughout the league,” Berry stated. “I believe that individual players may have specific interests at various stages of their careers, whether they are young or veteran players, among other factors.” That’s quite common. That’s not the first time for us, and it likely won’t be the last… However, we value Myles and, as I mentioned, we have no intention of trading him.