The Chicago Bears have some areas on the roster that need to improve this offseason, and one of those spots seems to be at edge rusher. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler was a guest on "Get Up" on March 17, and he said the Bears are hoping to gain some edge pressure help over the next two months and haven't given up hope on a Maxx Crosby trade.
While it appears the wind may have sailed on Crosby being moved out of Las Vegas, there seems to be another, and better, option that could be on the market. And that's the Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett. On March 25, ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed that the Browns and Garrett agreed on "modified language" on his deal. Garrett had option bonuses in 2026, 2027, and 2028 set for the 15th day of the league year, but now it's pushed to seven days before the regular season begins.
With this move, there's speculation that it opens the door to a possible post-June 1st trade. And if that's the case, Chicago could be interested in trading for one of the best pass rushers in the league.
Bears Could Potentially Make Move for Myles Garrett After Latest Contract Adjustment
While this contract alteration doesn't create any cap space for the Browns, it certainly made his contract more tradeable, and that should be appealing to the Bears. It's no secret that this defense needs more help on the edge, and that's something that Garrett would make a huge impact on.
In 2025, Chicago was tied for 28th in the NFL in team sacks (35). Montez Sweat led the way with 10 sacks for the Bears, which is a fine total for him to have over a season, but Garrett is in another tier. Last season, he broke the NFL record with 23 sacks. He also had 33 TFLs, 84 pressures, and 45 hurries. Throughout his career, Garrett has been a game wrecker, logging 125.5 sacks in nine seasons. In addition, Garrett has finished with double-digit sacks in eight of those nine campaigns.
While there's no downplaying how great Garrett is, his price won't be low either. Many believe it would take three first-rounders to get this deal done, which is a hefty price to pay for sure. If the Bears didn't want to route that route, they could offer Cleveland two first-rounders, a 2026 second-rounder, and include the aforementioned Sweat.
Getting Garrett's contract to fit on the books for Chicago is something to figure out, which is why involving Sweat in this deal makes sense. Sweat has two years left on his deal, at $25 million in 2026 and 2027. Meanwhile, Garrett is at $23 million in 2026, $27 million in 2027, $29 million in 2028, $64 million in 2029, and $57 million in 2030.
Although those cap hits in 2029 and 2030 are high, the odds are he wouldn't even play on those numbers, as they would agree to a new deal by then. Regardless, the Bears currently have $1 million in cap space, per Spotrac. In this projected trade, moving on from Sweat would allow them to free up money to absorb Garrett's deal, while also keeping a first-round pick.
Thanks to the DJ Moore trade, the Bears have an extra 2nd-round pick at their disposal and could use one in this offer. While Chicago would still need to find another edge threat in this scenario, they could use one of their first three picks in the 2026 NFL draft to take a swing there. Chicago would also hope that Austin Booker takes a step in his development, but the idea of adding a player like Garrett has to be enticing.
Garrett technically isn't on the trade block, but the news on his readjusted contract makes things more possible. And while Chicago has sniffed around Crosby, taking the swing on a better player in Garrett has to be a conversation that's taking place in Halas Hall.