Is Myles Garrett the Best Player Ever To Be Traded in the NFL?

We take a look at several other notorious NFL deals involving Hall of Famers in their prime.

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is all smiles as he jogs back inside before a game, Dec. 21, 2025, in Cleveland. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The dust is starting to settle after the Cleveland Browns sent Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in a trade that sent shockwaves throughout the NFL.

While there had been some speculation regarding moving on from the two-time Defensive Player of the Year for some time, it was still surprising. Never in the history of the league had a reigning DPOY been sent away via trade.  

That leads us inevitably to another big question: Is Myles Garrett the best player ever to be traded? Let’s take a look:

Eric Dickerson
Rams to Colts - 1987

This might be the most similar case to Garrett’s. Dickerson looked like a surefire Hall of Famer when he was traded midseason in ‘87 to Indy. At that point, he had three Pro Bowl nods, three first-team All-Pro selections, three second places in MVP voting, plus Offensive Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year awards in his first four seasons. He’d also led the league three times in rushing and had set the single-season rushing record during his sophomore year.

He got to Indianapolis as part of a very rare three-team trade, and proceeded to earn three more Pro Bowl nods along with two more first-team All-Pro selections. He also led the league in rushing once more.  He was undoubtedly at the peak of his powers when he was sent away from L.A.

Marshall Faulk
Colts to Rams - 1999

Indy surprisingly shipped Faulk away after four superb seasons in five years with the franchise, just when the Colts were starting to become a force in the AFC. He arrived to St. Louis having secured Offensive Rookie of the Year honors along with three Pro Bowl nods.

Like Garrett, he was traded at the peak of his career. He had just registered the first of four consecutive +2,000 scrimmage yard seasons, and came in fourth in Offensive Player of the Year voting, before adding four more Pro Bowl nods, one league MVP Award, three Offensive Player of the Year Awards and three first team All-Pro selections in St. Louis. He also came in second in MVP voting twice during that time. 

However looking back, Faulk was just starting to scratch the surface of his game when acquired by the Rams, not the case with Garrett.

Khalil Mack
Raiders to Bears - 2018

Mack had a sizzling start to his career, earning three Pro Bowl nods, two first-team All-Pro selections and a Defensive Player of the Year Award within his first four seasons. The Raiders then saw fit to deal Mack away to Chicago instead of paying up, and Mack responded with three more Pro Bowls, one more first-team All-Pro and a second place in DPOY voting with the Bears. Mack’s career started to wind down after that, despite three more Pro Bowl nods with the Chargers.

While everyone agrees Mack was already on a Canton-bound trajectory while in Oakland, and he certainly was in his prime when dealt, Garrett already has three more double-digit sack seasons in three less seasons played. Mack ranks slightly below Garrett in terms of pure talent.

Joe Montana
49ers to Chiefs - 1993

Montana was already talked about as the greatest quarterback ever by the time the 49ers dealt him to the Chiefs -- he owned a 4-0 Super Bowl record and had established a reputation for precision passing and comeback winning drives.

Montana undoubtedly ranks well ahead of Garrett on the all-time player list, but he was past his prime when traded. He did lead KC to its first division title in 23 years and an AFC Championship appearance on his first try, though, the first of only two seasons played for the Chiefs.

Randy Moss
Vikings to Raiders - 2004, Raiders to Patriots - 2007

After seven seasons in Minnesota, Moss was already talked about as a future Hall of Famer with five Pro Bowls, three first-team All-Pro selections, and a highlight reel several miles long to his name. But his last season in Minnesota was his worst at that time, a 49-catch, 767-receiving yard effort that somehow still yielded 13 touchdowns. 

After the Vikes sent him to Oakland, Moss put up very pedestrian numbers by his standards, prompting the Raiders to ship him off to New England where he exploded in 2007.

Talentwise Moss also clears Garrett, but he wasn't playing his best football during either of those trades.

Fran Tarkenton
Vikings to Giants - 1967, Giants to Vikings - 1972

Tarkenton spent his first six seasons in the NFL with the then expansion Vikings,  including two Pro Bowl nods, before being acquired via trade by the Giants, where over the course of the next five years he elevated his game status within the NFL to the tune of four more Pro Bowls.

After being sent back to Minny, Tarkenton led the Vikings to three Super Bowls and was named league MVP in 1975, his only first-team All-Pro season, before retiring as the league’s most prolific passer. Unlike Garrett, both trades came off the heels of down seasons for Tarkenton.

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Unlike most of the players mentioned here, Garrett was traded right after his best season, and at a time in his career when his status as a surefire Hall of Famer isn’t in question. His peak also arrived a little later in his career than most. 

Dickerson’s case is clearly the best comparison for Garrett, and depending on where you rank each of them individually in the history of the NFL, Garrett has solid arguments to be considered the best player ever traded in the NFL, at the time of being dealt.