I want to be very careful about how I word and frame the following post.
In case you missed it, Cleveland Browns star pass rusher Myles Garrett put in a public request for a trade on Monday. It is a fascinating twist in what I was already expecting to be a wild offseason in the NFL. Hours after the request became public, ESPN’s Adam Schefter jumped on The Pat McAfee Show to discuss the latest on the developing story. In doing so, he offered up a hypothetical in which he tried to explain where Garrett would want to go.
Here is the video featuring Adam Schefter on Pat McAfee’s Show:
"I think he legitimately wants to be in a place where he has a chance to win the Super Bowl..
In his ideal world that's where Myles Garrett wants to go" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive https://t.co/1uOKJKuppY pic.twitter.com/tqvWkySEmE— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 3, 2025
This is a transcription of Schefter’s words from his conversation with McAfee from the video above:
Schefter: Is this a business play by Myles Garrett? I don’t think so. I think he legitimately wants to be in a place where he feels like he is going to have a chance to win the Super Bowl. But, again, is there anything that can get him off that that changes his mind.
McAfee: Last question from me. And, obviously, we’re all learning about this as we go. So that means he’s only going to teams that are contenders? Is that what we’re hearing?
Schefter: In his ideal world, that’s what he’s doing. Now, again, what if they said we’re trading you — I’m making this up — to Chicago? Is Chicago a Super Bowl contender right now? But what if Chicago, he feels like is a m— I think the best way of saying it: He wants to go on to what he believes is a Super Bowl contender. But I think, as we’ve talked about this, that would be a place that he believes gives him more hope to win a Super Bowl championship than the Browns do. And there are probably multiple NFL franchises that would fall into that category because I think 31 teams would be interested in trading for Myles Garrett.
This feels like one of those situations where it was important to type out and re-share the full conversation rather than isolate a snippet or an attention-grabbing singular quote. Now that we’ve got some clarity on that front, let’s move on.
Myles Garrett trade rumors are only at their starting point
Let me be clear about why I am writing this post. For starters, to offer clarity regarding an evolving situation that is very much in its infancy phases. But also to lay some groundwork regarding the Bears’ possible fit and involvement in a possible Myles Garrett trade sweepstakes. This situation figures to become more layered and complex as it chugs along.
There are some important nuggets that ESPN’s Adam Schefter mentions above. Firstly, there are going to be 31 other teams who will be interested in trading for Myles Garrett. That is to be expected when discussing a six-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro member, and one of the best sack artists in the league. Secondly, Schefter shares his belief that Garrett put in the trade request because he wants to join a Super Bowl contender. This makes sense, especially if you look at where the Browns finished in the standings and where their arrow is pointing for the foreseeable future, so long as it is being handcuffed by Deshaun Watson’s atrocity of a contract.
But for us, the meat of the Schefter-McAfee exchange is Schefty’s mention of the Bears. It comes off as an off-hand mention. Purely hypothetical in nature. With that being said, Schefter frames it in a way that makes you believe he might’ve heard something without saying it explicitly — a real wink-and-a-nod situation with some certified plausible deniability based on the delivery and framing. However you want to slice it, Schefter’s words provide us a jumping-off point to discuss a plausible fit in Chicago.
To put it kindly, the Bears need help along the defensive line. This team had 40 sacks last season, which placed them 16th in the NFL and firmly in the middle of the pack. Montez Sweat’s 5.5 sacks led the way from the defensive end position, while defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. contributed five sacks to finish second on the team’s leaderboard. However, the team did not get much production from players suiting up opposite Sweat at the other defensive end spot.
DeMarcus Walker, Darrell Taylor, Austin Booker, and others were fine contributors. But none of the aforementioned defensive linemen were impact players. Once teams figured that out, opponents shifted gears to focus on neutralizing Sweat because there was no need to fear Chicago’s other pass-rushing options. This isn’t to excuse Montez’s decline in production. Instead, it is an attempt to explain why his numbers took a step back in 2025 while also laying out why it would make sense for Chicago to make a run at trading for Myles Garrett if Cleveland honors his request.
Even if the Browns *DO* make Myles Garrett available, there are questions to be raised about where swinging that type of trade would fall on the Bears’ offseason pecking order. Needs along the offensive line have been ignored long enough and are expected to be addressed in free agency and the upcoming NFL Draft. Extensions for home-grown players (such as cornerback Kyler Gordon) are reportedly on the team’s off-season to-do list. Rounding out the receivers’ room, building depth in the secondary, adding to the running backs mix, and finding serviceable tight ends also figure to be on GM Ryan Poles’ offseason checklist.
And yet, Myles Garrett is the type of player whose availability should put some of those plans on the back burner. Garrett’s résumé is legitimate, and his arrival would provide the kind of presence that would raise everyone around him. Game-wrecking defensive ends do not grow on trees. So, if they become available, it would behoove your favorite team to inquire about the cost of doing business to acquire such a talent.
In the end, it wouldn’t surprise me to hear the Bears come up as an interested party if the Browns change their stance and decide to trade Myles Garrett. Given the team’s needs and cap flexibility, this might be a good time to strike. But because 30 other teams would be interested, I would caution you against getting your hopes up.