Wild Lions-Myles Garrett mock trade would create a cap space disaster

It's gotten to that sweet spot of the NFL offseason where, if your team isn't expected to make a big splash in the 2026 NFL Draft or in free agency, you're going to get tossed into some wild trade scenarios that have no grip on reality.

That's exactly what just happened to the Detroit Lions thanks to Mike Tannenbaum's ridiculous mock trade proposed on ESPN's "Get Up." Following day one of the NFL Scouting Combine, Tannenbaum proposed a deal that would send Cleveland Browns superstar EDGE Myles Garrett to the Lions in exchange for two first round picks and Jameson Williams.

"If you're the Lions, you're going to the Super Bowl with Aidan Hutchinson, Myles Garrett, and that offense, and if you're the Browns, you have such a big rebuild. Two first round picks and you get a young, explosive player with 17 touchdowns in his career, 17 yards per catch. You need so many weapons, you have so many holes to fill. If I'm the Browns, I do that to start the massive rebuild."

Mike Tannenbaum proposes a blockbuster Lions trade that would send them to cap purgatory

The one thing that is going to likely make this a big "no" is the money tied up in Garrett.

Garrett just signed a monster extension that'll have the Lions paying $31.5 million in guaranteed salary in 2026, in addition to him contributing to a $23.6 million cap hit as well. And, thanks to some kicking the can down the road done by Cleveland, Garrett would create a cap hit of $62 million in 2029, and $57.9 million in 2030.

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It's also...Myles Garrett. He just broke the sack record in 2025, and he's obviously got a ton of gas still left in the tank despite being 31 years old. He's the best defender in the NFL, and adding him to the Lions' defense would automatically make them Super Bowl favorites - especially if the only piece they're losing in exchange for him is Williams.

However, this is simply the kind of huge swing trade that we shouldn't expect out of Brad Holmes this offseason given his, and Dan Campbell's, recent comments on the moves ahead of them in free agency. This is a duo that likes to find wins on the margins, and wouldn't be too keen on parting with so much draft capital to then have to figure out this massive cap headache down the road.

Detroit has to find a co-star to Hutchinson that won't be walking in 2027. We know that. But, blowing up your draft capital and shipping off a pretty young, key part to your offense, in addition to destroying your cap space, in a trade like this just doesn't scream "Brad Holmes."