Is Myles Garrett heading to the Bears?
Following Myles Garrett's trade request from the Cleveland Browns, 31 other teams have been named possible fitters for the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year. However, while every team in the NFL would like Garrett on their team, it's a trade that could cost quite a bit, both in trade capital and in literal dollars — considering his expiring contract. Although some teams have more of a reason to trade for Garrett, the Chicago Bears were named a top landing spot for the former No. 1 pick, per ESPN's Bill Barnwell.
“With $65 million in cap space, [the Bears] could afford to add Garrett and still have the ability to address their offensive line in free agency,” Barnwell wrote. “With an extra second-round pick still coming from the 2023 trade with the Panthers, they have extra capital if they did decide to make an offer for Garrett.
“If they believe Johnson can help bring along cost-controlled talent on offense, focusing their spending on the defense would make sense.”
Now, there's some truth to the Bears being a top landing spot for the Browns' edge rusher, but the likelihood that Chicago sends off premium draft capital to add Garrett to their defense isn't incredibly high.
When looking at what it could cost for the Bears to trade for Garrett, there's a rather good comparison for Chicago that took place just a few seasons ago.
In Sept. 2018, the Bears traded for Khalil Mack, sending two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick for him, a second-round pick, and a conditional fifth-round pick.
So, if Chicago wants to send multiple first-round picks and change for a former Defensive Player of the Year, they have their blueprint on how to do so.
For what the Bears might have to send to the Browns for Garrett, they could — possibly — send less for the Tennessee Titans to trade down from their No. 1 pick. With that pick, the Bears could trade up and draft Penn State's Abdul Carter, getting a similar player — who's nearly a decade younger — for a fraction of the price.
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While the Titans haven't publically expressed what it would cost for them to trade down from No. 1, the weaker quarterback class of the 2025 NFL Draft makes their pick a bit less valuable.
Many fans remember the haul Ryan Poles orchestrated with the Carolina Panthers in 2023, and that was in a class with Bryce Yound and CJ Stroud as frontrunners to be selected first overall.
However, in the 2025 NFL Draft, that choice at No. 1 isn't as clear, making the pick less valuable.
So, while Garrett would surely be a fun watch on the Bears' defense, it might not make as much sense as trading up with Tennessee if they really want a pass rusher that bad.
But, when looking at teams that could trade for Myles Garrett, the Bears are seemingly a top landing spot.
