If the Chicago Bears want to take a huge swing in 2026, there may not be a more audacious trade target than Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett.
We recently covered NFL insider Adam Schefter revealing on WGN that the Bears inquired about a trade for Garrett prior to the 2025 deadline. According to Schefter, Cleveland shut that down. With the Bears ascending and the Browns perpetually stuck in the mud, some think Garrett might want to get out of Cleveland and head for greener pastures.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report put together some offseason trades to “rescue Myles Garrett” from Cleveland, and he has the Bears first on his list.
“It would be a crying shame for one of the game’s all-time greats to continue tallying world-class personal marks while never having the opportunity to play in a conference championship game, let alone a Super Bowl, due to an inept owner and front office,” Kay wrote on November 18, before putting together a trade proposal he thinks would bring Garrett to the Windy City.
Bears Trade Idea: Chicago Would Package 4 Future Picks in Exchange for Myles Garrett
Getty ImagesA new trade proposal sends Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett to the Chicago Bears for four future draft picks.
“It’s unknown what Bears general manager Ryan Poles put on the table, but Schefter described it as an ‘aggressive’ offer,” Kay wrote on November 18. “If the Bears are serious about bringing Garrett into the fold, they’ll need to offer up a package headline by two first-round picks with additional Day 2 and 3 capital included to sweeten the pot.”
Here’s the trade proposal Kay put together:
- Bears receive: Edge Myles Garrett
- Browns receive: 2026 1st-Round Pick, 2026 2nd-Round Pick, 2027 1st-Round Pick, 2027 4th-Round Pick
Garrett will be 30 when the 2026 season hits, and he’s still in his prime. The former No. 1 overall pick has piled up 117.5 career sacks through the 2025 season, including seven straight years with double-digit QB takedowns. Entering Week 12, he’s leading the league with 15 sacks in 10 games.
Montez Sweat has been solid since arriving via trade back in 2023, but Dayo Odeyingbo hasn’t worked out yet and Austin Booker is still developing. Garrett would being an absolute game-changer for any franchise, but with Chicago’s strong secondary, he would instantly elevate the unit to a top-tier one.
But how realistic is this?
The Numbers Could Be a Problem
From a financial standpoint, Garrett is locked into one of the most expensive contracts in football. After his original five-year, $125 million extension in 2020, the Browns doubled down in March 2025 with a four-year, $160 million extension that now ties him to Cleveland through 2030. He makes $40 million per year, with $88.8 million fully guaranteed at his signing and over $120 million in total guarantees.
The problem with trading him at all is that he could be very expensive for the Browns to move. His contract is laced with prorated bonus money that would leave Cleveland with massive dead-cap hits in any trade scenario. His extension included a no-trade clause, so Garrett would have to sign off on any move.
Thus, Garrett would have to want to come to Chicago, and Cleveland would have to be willing to move on from one of the league’s most dominant players. Could Chicago’s resurgence this year, led by one of the brightest young coaches in the NFL in Ben Johnson, be enough to persuade Garrett to move on?
Maybe. Poles’ previous interest in the Browns superstar DE could come up again, particularly if the Bears feel like they can truly contend in 2026. If Chicago is in a place where it can mortgage the future next year, a move like this is a remote possibility. But the idea of Garrett in navy and orange is still a pretty far-fetched one.
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