A contract tweak ignites whispers of a blockbuster move. Could the Cowboys land the NFL's premier pass rusher, finally unlocking their playoff potential?
FRISCO - To heck with Maxx Crosby.
And hello to Myles Garrett?
The possibility of a bombshell trade of Garrett improved this week when the Cleveland Browns and Garrett agreed to move a $29.2 million option bonus due on Wednesday to a new “deadline’’ of sorts, seven days before the league season in September.
Why do so?
“They have no plans to trade him,” writes Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
Adds Zac Jackson of The Athletic: “I still don’t see the Browns trading Myles Garrett anytime soon. … This is procedural and about what’s best for future decision-making.’’
“Procedural’’? To what end? “Future decision-making’’? What if the offer Cleveland can get in trade - say, an offer in excess of what the Dallas Cowboys were willing to cough up in their failed bid to win Raiders pass-rusher Maxx Crosby - means their future can be built now?
From Jason Fitzgerald, owner of Overthecap.com: “All this does is make him tradeable if he agrees to waive a no-trade clause.’’
Of those three takes, the third one makes the most sense. The Browns as presently constructed, are going nowhere, but they do own the No. 6 and No. 24 picks in the April NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys - with fans still hopeful that owner Jerry Jones’ “bust the budget’’ promise can come to fruition - also have a surplus of picks as they’ve spoken frankly of “urgency’’ in forging a return to the NFL playoffs after a two-year drought (not to mention their 30-year championship drought).
There is a potential match here. And it’s obvious.
Garrett is 30 and running out of time in a chase for postseason glory. He’s a hometown kid, having grown up in Arlington in the shadow of AT&T Stadium before starring at Texas A&M and then developing into the best pass-rusher of his generation.
The five-time first-team All-Pro won NFL Defensive Player of the Year (again) just last season would surely waive his no-trade clause to escape Cleveland (where in his eight seasons the Browns are 58-74-1 for a .439 win percentage), so that’s not an issue.
What would Cleveland demand? The Raiders (almost) traded Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks. That must be the basement asking price here.
How would Dallas counter? How about with a “yes,’’ given that the Cowboys were willing to give Las Vegas their No. 12 overall pick this year and a second-rounder in 2027? In this case, up that proposal to the No. 12 and a first-rounder in 2027. If Cleveland wants more? Help their thin O-line by sweetening the trade by including guard T.J. Bass.
What would the Browns end up with? Three first-rounders this year plus two more next year, leverage enough to orchestrate their way to drafting a QB (Texas’ Arch Manning?) next spring. … an idea that is in part dependent on how Shedeur Sanders performs in the 2026 season.
What would the Cowboys end up with? They will have manipulated their way from trading Micah Parsons to Green Bay to adding Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and the future Hall-of-Famer Garrett. They can still add a veteran linebacker (as I’m told is the plan) and they can use their other first-round pick, at No. 20, to add another theoretical defensive starter.
“Bust the budget’’? Yes, there is that. Garrett’s year-by-year cap impact is as follows …
2026 - $9,140,000
2027 - $17,056,600
2028 - $21,382,800
2029 - $57,992,800
2030 - $57,992,800
2031 - $16,434,000 (dead cap)
In essence, the first three years (when he’ll actually be playing) are affordable … and then come a couple of “credit-card’’ years. But note that Dallas was willing to take on this sort of load with Crosby.
So …
This blockbuster would silence the critics of Jerry Jones, but that’s not the reason to execute it.
This would also count as a headline-grabbing “splash,’’ but that’s not the reason, either.
What it would do is give Dallas a monster playmaker who set the NFL single-season record with 23 sacks last year while becoming the first player since 1982 to record 12+ sacks in six consecutive seasons. He’s a class act. He’s a stud. He would lift the league-worst Dallas defense up to a level of respectability that, combined with the consistent excellence of the Dak Prescott-led offense, would give the Cowboys a championship chance.
In the end, if Jerry’s Cowboys thought the Maxx Crosby idea was a worthy one? They’re almost obliged to think the Myles Garrett idea is even better.