Could the New England Patriots trade for a seven-time Pro Bowler?
The New England Patriots have been named a trade landing spot for one of the greatest players in NFL history.
NFL analyst Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report thinks the Patriots should pursue a trade for Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett.
"Again, New England doesn't really have a player to include in the trade that Cleveland would covet (even if some fans would like to throw tackle Will Campbell in), so the cost in picks would be steep," Davenport wrote. "But if the Patriots are serious about winning the AFC again in 2026, it could be a price worth paying. And Drake Maye would no doubt be glad to have Garrett on his side. He sacked Maye five times last year."
The Browns amended Garrett's deal to push back the execution date for option bonuses in 2026, 2027 and 2028 to seven days before the start of the regular season. The payment of the option bonuses was also modified to benefit Garrett in some way.
Initially, Garrett's contract previously called for his option bonuses in 2026, 2027 and 2028 to take effect 15 days into the new league year, which was today for the 2026 bonus.
Garrett also had $8 million of his base salary in 2029 and 2030 converted into separate roster bonuses that would be exercised early on in those respective league years.
What's notable from these adjustments is that it delays some major chunks of money due to Garrett, which would have accelerated onto their cap as dead money until much later in each of those years.
These changes don't create any additional cap space in 2026. The flexibility it does create really benefits the Browns above all else, and by moving that money around, it creates an avenue where they could theoretically trade Garrett with a much less intrusive financial burden.
The Browns went 5-12 last season despite Garrett breaking the single-season sack record. Garrett had 23.0 sacks, 43 solo tackles, 33 tackles for loss and 39 QB hits this season.
Since entering the NFL in 2017, Garrett has racked up 125.5 sacks. He deserves to play for a winning franchise and the Browns are not close to earning that title.
Garrett requested a trade from the Browns last February. One month later, Cleveland signed the defensive end to a four-year extension averaging $40 million per year and including $123 million in guaranteed money.
The Patriots lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl last season. Adding Garrett to Mike Vrabel's defense would make New England the overwhelming Super Bowl favorite for next season.
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