Should the Panthers trade for disgruntled Browns star Myles Garrett?

Is Myles Garrett a wise investment?

Jan 4, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers need an edge rusher badly. It may not be their biggest need out of all, but it's up there. Neither DJ Wonnum nor Jadeveon Clowney strikes fear into opposing offenses and they're only under contract through the 2025 season. They need someone else there at the very least.

As if by magic or if the football gods heard Panthers' fans, Myles Garrett, perhaps the best edge rusher in the entire league, has requested a trade. Suddenly, a premier, franchise-shifting pass-rusher is available. Should the Panthers go after him?

Do the Panthers need to go after Myles Garrett?

Myles Garrett has requested a trade.

His statement: pic.twitter.com/yx5Q9Exa0V

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2025

Myles Garrett said i his official trade request that he wants to win a Super Bowl. The Panthers, right now, only represent a marginally better chance at doing that than the Cleveland Browns. That all but assuredly removes them from being a place Garrett would want to go, but it might not matter.

The Panthers cannot afford Garrett. His salary is $25 million, which is right around the entire cap space the Panthers currently have. They'd have to offset the incoming money with outgoing money, and pretty much everyone on meaningful contracts in Carolina is worth keeping.

The Panthers would also have to send a boatload of high-value picks. It may not take a first-round pick and more, but it would either require something like that or a haul in quantity. The Panthers can't afford to make a deal like that.

They're still reeling a little bit from the Bryce Young trade, and they are not just an edge rusher away. Carolina needs an edge, a center, a wide receiver, a tight end, two safeties, a linebacker, and an interior defensive lineman. Garrett isn't fixing all those issues, and he's too expensive for Dan Morgan to truly entertain the idea.

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