Shortly after Cleveland Browns All-Pro pass-rusher Myles Garrett went public with his request to be traded to an advertised Super Bowl contender, Garrett was spotted at the “NFL Honors” show speaking with Detroit Lions defensive superstar Aidan Hutchinson and Detroit quarterback Jared Goff.
On the latest edition of “The Squeeze” podcast, Hutchinson addressed that conversation and the Lions possibly landing Garrett at some point this offseason.
“If me and Myles were to pair up, that would be deadly, you know? I was talking to him, we were at the ‘Honors,’ and we were just talking about what could be,” Hutchinson said, as shared by Kory Woods of MLive. “And although it’s probably unlikely, I think I would be thrilled to play next to him if it were to happen. But, yeah, our whole D-line would be, like, totally elevated, and we would — whew — that’d be a scary defensive line.”
There are numerous reasons Hutchinson may be right about Detroit trading for Garrett being a “probably unlikely” scenario. For starters, messages from the Browns delivered throughout February have strongly suggested no trade is imminent and that Cleveland wants to sign the 29-year-old, who is under contract through the 2026 season, to a new deal that would make him the league’s highest-paid defensive player.
For a piece published Wednesday, Lions reporter Colton Pouncy of The Athletic said that completing such a blockbuster trade “would be a true departure from the roster-building strategy we’ve seen in Detroit under Lions general manager Brad Holmes” over the years.
“He’s been adamant about sticking to their process, which has focused on building through the draft, adding free agents where it makes sense and extending their homegrown talent,” Pouncy added about Holmes.
As ESPN’s Dan Graziano and others have pointed out, the Browns probably won’t trade Garrett before June 1 due to reasons related to the salary cap. That reality isn’t preventing Hutchinson from dreaming about sharing a locker room with the one-time Defensive Player of the Year Award winner.
“We get along, too. I’ve seen him these last few years at different things,” Hutchinson said about Garrett during the podcast. “He texted me after I got hurt, which was just a cool thing. Guys outside of your own team who reach out to you — so I think he’s a good dude. If he does (come), great, but I don’t know. We’ll see. But that would be awesome.”