For the second straight offseason, the Browns find themselves answering the same uncomfortable question: Is it time to move on from Myles Garrett? Former NFL general manager and ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum says it is, and he has a plan mapped out for head coach Todd Monken.

Tannenbaum believes the Browns should pull the trigger under one condition: if they receive a franchise-altering treasure trove in return.

“Two first-round picks and Jameson Williams to the Detroit Lions,” Tannenbaum said on Get Up on February 27. “If you’re in the Lions, you go to the Super Bowl with Aidan Hutchinson, Myles Garrett, and that offense. And if you’re in the Browns, you have such a big rebuild. Two first-round picks and get a young, explosive player.”

Tannenbaum is laying out a structured plan for the Browns organization. His argument is simple: if the return is worth it, Monken should pull the trigger.

Two first-round picks and wide receiver Jameson Williams out of Detroit would be exactly that return. The deal would push Cleveland’s total first-round picks in the 2026 draft to four.

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​Right now, the Browns already hold two first-round picks, the 6th and 24th overall selections. Adding more ammunition would only accelerate a rebuild from the horror of a season that the Browns had. 

Cleveland shuffled through three quarterbacks and plummeted to a 5-12 record, finishing near the bottom of every major offensive category. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam ultimately fired head coach Kevin Stefanski, ending a six-season run and signaling that the franchise is ready to tear things down and start fresh.

ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick doubled down on the sentiment, pointing out that Cleveland is failing to maximize Garrett’s prime.

“It’s just hard to walk away from someone who you know is going to walk right into the Hall of Fame,” Riddick said on Get Up. “But yeah, I agree. This should have been done a year ago when he was clamoring for it.”

Riddick emphasized that Garrett wants his legacy to be about racking up wins and playing in a Super Bowl, not just individual accolades.

But that change didn’t sit well with Garrett. The defensive end posted a cryptic Instagram story.

It was a photo of a Wendy’s worker on break, looking exhausted, posted just hours after Todd Monken was named the new head coach. Reports quickly surfaced that Garrett was unhappy with the outcome, specifically because defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz did not get the gig.

“I don’t know that people understand how bad it could get for the Browns if Schwartz leaves, and on bad terms,” Ashley Bastock reported for Cleveland.com on January 28. “Players on that defense, including Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward, love playing for Jim.”

Bastock noted that the ripple effect of the move “could be incomprehensible.”

Here is the thing, though. Letting go of Garrett is far easier said than done.

He just wrapped up the season as the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. He set a new single-season sack record with a league-high 23 sacks and led the league with 33 tackles for loss. He also finished with 60 tackles, 39 QB hits, and 53 QB pressures. 

For nine years, Garrett has been the one constant the Browns could lean on. And yet, he nearly walked away from Cleveland just 12 months ago.

In February 2025, Garrett formally requested a trade, wanting to join a Super Bowl-contending team. However, general manager Andrew Berry made his stance crystal clear: there would be no deal.

“You can put that on the record,” Berry told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com at the time.

The Browns ultimately signed Garrett to a four-year, $160 million extension, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. The question now becomes, even if the Browns decide to trade him, can the Detroit Lions actually afford him?

Can the $5.4 billion franchise afford Myles Garrett?

Myles Garrett is set to carry a base salary of $1.3 million in 2026, but his full cap hit comes in at $24.67 million. That number climbs steadily, eventually ballooning to $64.9 million in 2029. That is the kind of financial commitment the Lions—valued at $5.4 billion per Forbes—will have to evaluate.

Right now, the Lions are currently $12.15 million over the cap, with effective cap space sitting at a negative $16.86 million. They would need significant contract restructuring to realistically absorb Garrett’s deal, especially since Jared Goff alone carries a cap hit close to $70 million.

When Garrett signed his extension, a full no-trade clause was included in the deal. That gives him absolute power over where he lands next. Even if both franchises agreed to a blockbuster deal, Garrett would have to sign off on landing in Detroit.