The NFL's best pass rusher is locked in with the Cleveland Browns, but if there were ever an opportunity to go elsewhere, there's no place like home.
We preface this by saying that there are no deliberate signs that the Cleveland Browns - despite seeing the exact result he hoped to avoid - are thinking of or planning to get rid of All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett, who is the clear frontrunner for the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2025 with a league-leading 19.0 sacks.
But in the world of hypothesizing how the Browns can get out of the continual mess they've found themselves in again this season? Why not offload your best asset for a treasure-chest cheat code of rebuilding resources?
And when that comes to Myles Garrett and his potential desired next destination?
There's no place like home. Just like Dorothy said that one time.
Garrett initially requested a trade to begin this past offseason because he was tired of the losing he'd endured for the past eight years, including his DPOY season in 2023 where Cleveland reached the playoffs for just the second time since drafting Garrett first overall in 2017.
Then, he agreed to a contract extension that made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time. It proved that money talks.
But the wins haven't come. Cleveland is back within its usual hole with a 3-10 record in 2025 after a loss to the previously one-win Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Week 14.
So, might Garrett get his wish next offseason, even though he's locked into a $40 million APY deal with the Browns? ESPN says it's not the craziest plot, listing Garrett on its list of "possible surprise cuts or trade candidates."
"Just in case he decides to go full Micah Parsons next offseason and force the Browns' hand," says reporter Dan Graziano in reference to the ex-Cowboy and friend of Garrett, "I think it's important to point out that [Garrett's] latest contract extension does not make it difficult to trade him."
"He is guaranteed about $62 million over the next two years, so an acquiring team would be getting a deal if he continued to play anywhere near his current level," Graziano continued. "The Browns would incur around $41 million in dead cap charges if they were to trade him, which is about half of what the Broncos took in dead money when they cut Russell Wilson (and they're 20-10 since they did that)."
It's not likely, but it's possible. Cleveland could use Garrett's historic season (he is just 3.5 sacks away from the all-time single-season record with five games left) as incredible leverage to return one of the largest trade hauls we might ever see. That is useful in a situation where there are multiple intriguing quarterback prospects in the first round of this upcoming NFL Draft, and of course, more underwhelming quarterback play in Cleveland yet again.
Where might he be sent? The best situation, we suggest - for Garrett, specifically - would be a homecoming with the Dallas Cowboys, who obviously would welcome his pass-rush prowess after the departure of Parsons has left the defense worse off than before in multiple areas.
The difficult part for Dallas would be building a package worthy enough to swipe Garrett from Cleveland. The Cowboys have two first-round picks this offseason (one received in the Micah deal) and a few starters on the defense that would be trade candidates after lackluster seasons (Trevon Diggs? Kenneth Murray Jr.?).
If it happens, it brings Garrett back to his old stomping grounds, where he starred at Arlington Martin in high school before becoming the face of Texas A&M for three seasons.
Garrett remains indebted to Dallas, often doing charity work with his local community, training and living in the DFW during the offseason, and visiting with legendary Cowboys broadcaster Babe Laufenberg, who's son Luke - a former teammate of Garrett's with the Aggies - was honored by the Browns star during this year's My Cause My Cleats campaign.
Sure, we may be jabbing overly-optimistic wishfulness at this idea, but the justification is there for Cleveland to move on from their current generational player in search of the next, who can maybe lead to more wins and help the franchise achieve the vision that persuaded Garrett to return for 2025 in the first place.
If Garrett is granted the opportunity to seek out his next team, we figure to know a place he might turn.
After all, there's no place like home.
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