Future Hall of Fame pass rusher Myles Garrett has requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns, and the Tennessee Titans should already be on the phone with the Browns' front office.
There have been rumblings that Garrett was unhappy with the Browns organization, and on Monday morning, Garrett announced on social media that he was asking for a trade.
Myles Garrett has requested a trade.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2025
His statement: pic.twitter.com/yx5Q9Exa0V
Every team in the NFL would be better with Garrett, but the Titans are one of few teams who can offer the Browns the chance to write a narrative that could make a trade acceptable for their upset fan base.
Losing the best defensive player in the league isn't going to be an easy pill to swallow, but if the Titans offered the Browns the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for Garrett, the Browns could attempt to sell this move as them copying what the Houston Texans did two years ago when they had the second and third pick in the draft, drafting CJ Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. en route to changing their trajectory.
Dane Brugler mentioned that the Browns have been looking hard at Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter in the 2025 NFL Draft. Carter is viewed as the best player in this class, with his only competition being Heisman-winning cornerback and wide receiver, Travis Hunter. If the Browns sent Garrett to the Titans for the first pick, the Browns could come away with the two best players in this draft class and set themselves up for immediate success.
If they don't want to spend a pick on a rookie who is only going to be compared to the player they traded away, the Browns could get an EDGE later in this deep class and spend one of the first two selections on Hunter, and the other on their favorite quarterback prospect.
Even though Garrett is a player who deserves multiple first-round picks in a trade, the Titans can't offer them that. The team needs a quarterback sometime soon and the roster isn't strong enough to trade two first-rounders.
The argument for accepting No. 1 overall from the Titans instead of multiple first-round picks is that the team they trade Garrett to could make a big jump next year. Would they rather end up with two selections in the 16-32 range, or would they rather have the chance to take their two top players in this draft class?
As for whether or not the Titans should be attempting to trade for a 29-year-old EDGE at this stage in their rebuild, remember who we are talking about. Garrett has had four straight seasons with 14+ sacks, 17+ TFLs, and 26+ QB hits.
At this point, most Titans fans and mock drafts are coming around to the idea of drafting Carter because he might just be too good to pass up in this draft. However, Carter is a promising EDGE who could become a great player, whereas Garrett is a sure thing at the same position.
The obvious caveat is that Garrett probably doesn't possess much interest in playing for the Titans. He's requesting a trade away from the Browns because they're a perennial loser, and the Titans just endured a 3-14 campaign. If Garrett has any control over his potential destination, Nashville won't appear on his shortlist.
It will be interesting to see how this goes, but Titans fans should keep a close eye on Mike Borgonzi and Chad Brinker in this high-leverage situation. Garrett is the type of player who can turn you into a contender overnight and if Amy Adams Strunk is trying to sell PSLs for the new stadium, having a future Hall of Famer on the roster would go a long way toward reinvigorating this fan base.