Myles Garrett is looking for a new NFL home. The league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year publicly requested a trade away from the Cleveland Browns after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the franchise.
The Browns have made it clear that they don't plan to trade Garrett, who has two years remaining on his current contract, but that won't stop the football community from obsessively speculating about his future. After all, he's one of the most impactful defenders in the league, and he would provide an immediate boost to any defense in the league.
CBS Sports explains why Bengals are a logical landing spot for Myles Garrett following trade request
CBS Sports listed five logical landing spots for Garrett, and the Cincinnati Bengals were included on the list, and understandably so. The Bengals desperately need pass-rushing help, and Garrett would immediately address that need. Pairing Garrett with Trey Hendrickson, who led the league in sacks in 2024, would immediately form the NFL's most dominant defensive duo.
Here's some of what CBS had to say about the potential fit between the two sides:
"Would the Browns really trade Garrett inside the division? I have my doubts, but if you're the Bengals you absolutely make the phone call. They have the ninth-most cap space in the NFL, so they could afford to bring Garrett aboard. More importantly, Cincinnati needs a talent like Garrett to help get the franchise back on track. ... Meanwhile, this would arguably be one of the top destinations for Garrett when factoring in his desire to win a Super Bowl."
On paper, Garrett on the Bengals would be an ideal fit. He fills a major area of need for Cincinnati, and his addition would immediately catapult the Bengals back into the contention conversation. However, that scenario playing out seems extremely unlikely.
The Bengals will have to do some financial gymnastics over the offseason just to figure out deals for own key contributors like Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Hendrickson. Adding Garrett's contract to the mix, while maybe not impossible, would be exceedingly difficult and would make Cincinnati's payroll even more top-heavy than it already is.
Even if the Browns did decide to trade Garrett, it also seems very unlikely that they'd opt to trade him within the division and then have to worry about playing against him twice a year. So while it's fun to speculate about Garrett becoming a Bengal, fans in Cincinnati shouldn't hold their breath.