Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett became a huge story during Super Bowl week after he went public with a trade request he made weeks beforehand. To his credit he has been very candid about he and the Browns not being well-aligned about the direction for the future, and wanting to play for a contender. The Browns may budge from their stance about not trading him, and the Detroit Lions should at least get involved in potential talks about Garrett.
The performance of the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive line in Super Bowl LIX has only bolstered the idea the Lions should pursue Garrett and perhaps give the Browns whatever they want in a trade.
But let's call a spade a spade here. Unless general manager Brad Holmes is willing to move off his roster-building philosophy and embrace actually being in a "Super Bowl window", the Lions aren't going to give up what it'll take to get Garrett in a trade. They may come to regret that if another top team in the NFC does what it'll take to acquire him.
A different Browns defensive player could line up as viable trade target for the Lions
Simply put, there's a potential scenario where the Lions lose free agent cornerback Carlton Davis. Then the focus would shift to how he'll be replaced, with several options across the spectrum of free agents.
Related: 6 teams who could poach Carlton Davis from the Lions in free agency
But a full vetting of options to replace Davis would naturally include the trade market. That's how Davis himself was acquired last offseason.
In light of Garrett's trade request, Browns cornerback Denzel Ward called his own future into question if the Browns end up trading the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year.
“(Garrett's request) has a huge impact, honestly,” Ward said last Wednesday on Super Bowl radio row, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “I want to play with Myles Garrett. He’s a Hall of Fame player. I came in the league, he was on the team and that’s my guy. So I’ve been talking to him and I know he said he wants out, but you’ve just got to hear where he’s coming from. He wants to win, so we’ll see what the near future holds.”
ESPN's Ben Solak has predicted either Ward or fellow cornerback Greg Newsome would be traded this offseason. In an assessment of the Lions' offseason decisions, Bleacher Report pointed toward the Browns' cornerback pair as potential trade targets.
With one year left on his contract, Newsome would be a very viable trade target. Ward has three years left on his deal (though with no more guaranteed salary after 2025), but he is also the better player coming off leading the league with 19 pass breakups and earning a second straight Pro Bowl selection this year.
The Browns would also take on a dead money hit north of $30 million by trading Ward before June 1, barring a restructure of his contract that would alter that and facilitate a trade.
But in a big picture sense, if things are lined up to go a certain way (Davis leaves) the Lions should have interest in Ward as a trade pivot if the Browns trade Garrett and move into a full tear-down.