Myles Garrett Throws Falcons a Lifeline

NFL insider James Palmer said the pass rush-starved Atlanta Falcons make sense for Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who requested a trade Monday.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has requested a trade.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has requested a trade. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
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The Atlanta Falcons need pass rush help — and one of the game’s best, Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, might be able help.

In a press release issued Monday, Garrett officially requested a trade from the Browns, citing his hopes of competing for a Super Bowl as the primary reason.

The Browns, in their own release, said they have no plans of trading Garrett. But with Garrett adamant in his stance, Cleveland may have no choice.

So, what happens next?

Perhaps the Falcons enter the fold — and Bleacher Report insider James Palmer believes Atlanta, if it can have a cap-friendly departure with quarterback Kirk Cousins to better maximize Michael Penix Jr.'s rookie contract, would be a logical landing spot for Garrett from a need perspective.

"They have been embarrassingly bad at getting after the quarterback over the last number of years," Palmer said. "Can you find a way to move on from Kirk and then change the money around? Having the ability to add Myles Garrett to that defense, I think, exponentially changes Atlanta and changes the perception of Atlanta in 2025 hands down."

Atlanta hasn't ranked inside the top 10 in sacks since 2004. The Falcons tallied only 31 sacks this season, the second-fewest in the NFL.

And the Falcons, from general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris to newly hired defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, are intent on adding pass rushers.

"You never say it's not going to be an offseason priority, just for the philosophy of the organization that starts up front," Morris said. "You can be No. 1 in sacks or last, that's still going to be a priority. If you can get after the quarterback, you can play really good defense, and that's always going to be a priority for us."

[RELATED: Falcons Will Prioritize Pass Rush in NFL Draft, Free Agency]

Fontenot said Atlanta has pressure players, but it needs to develop internally and add more pieces this spring. Ulbrich agreed.

"There's no great defense that's ever lived in this league that didn't affect the quarterback," Ulbrich said. "You've got to affect the quarterback in two ways: Either we affect him physically, get him off the spot, sack him, hit him, or we affect him from the standpoint of from a coverage perspective and try to confuse him.

"You can't thrive in this league from a defensive perspective without a good pass rush."

Not only do the Falcons recognize their need to improve their pass rush, but they also tried to act on it. At the mid-season trade deadline, Fontenot and Atlanta's staff tried to add defensive line and pass rush help, Palmer said, and frantically called other teams with hopes of finding a match.

Yet while the Falcons fall short in the fall, Palmer thinks their past pursuit of a pass rusher could prove relevant as Garrett's situation unfolds.

"The reason I bring it up is just remember, they've been aggressive," Palmer said. "And those are little things you always kind of try to remember when you think about these type of conversations."

Both Palmer and The Athletic's Dianna Russini said any trade package for Garrett will likely include a first-round draft choice and some combination of Day 2 draft picks or a player. Atlanta currently owns the 15th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

For now, however, the Falcons' true interest in Garrett is unknown.

The 29-year-old Garrett, who's been an All-Pro five straight years and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season, recorded 14 sacks and a league-high 22 tackles for loss while starting all 17 games in 2024.

Garrett has two years left on the five-year, $125 million contract he signed in 2020, and according to NFL.com, he carries cap hits of $19.7 million and $20.4 million in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

Atlanta, meanwhile, is 27th in the league in cap space with negative-$11 million, according to OverTheCap. The Falcons also have only five draft picks, including just two — their first- and second-round picks -- in the top 100.

And so, while Atlanta has a glaring need for another pass rusher and Garrett would be a much-needed acquisition, the Falcons don't appear to have the capital needed to make such a move — even if Cleveland was willing to negotiate.


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Daniel Flick
DANIEL FLICK

Daniel Flick is an accredited NFL writer for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Daniel has provided boots-on-ground coverage at the NFL Combine and from the Atlanta Falcons' headquarters, among other destinations, and contributed to the annual Lindy's Sports Magazine ahead of the 2023 offseason. Daniel is a co-host on the 404TheFalcon podcast and previously wrote for the Around the Block Network and Georgia Sports Hospitality Media.