Why the Chicago Bears should — and shouldn't — trade for star defensive end Myles Garrett

Whenever a star defensive player comes on the market, the Chicago Bears are bound to be in the conversation.

Alongside the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bears are known for defense. When the Monsters of the Midway are at their peak, it energizes the Bears fanbase behind stellar defensive plays.

Take, for example, the 2018 season when the Bears traded for Khalil Mack and had the best defense in the NFL. Now, Cleveland Browns star pass rusher Myles Garrett is available. Garrett has asked for a trade. All the 31 other NFL franchises would love to acquire a pass rusher in his prime with 102.5 career sacks.

The Bears need another pass rusher. Could the Bears acquire one of the best pass rushers in the league?

Here's why they should – and shouldn't – trade for Garrett.

Myles Garrett: All-World pass rusher

Garrett is one of the most valuable players in the league. That needs to be said. He is going to be worth the price paid by any team that acquires him.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft lived up to his billing. He has recorded double-digit sacks in all but one season, which was his rookie season in Cleveland where he still had seven sacks.

Garrett's resume is impressive:

• NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2023)
• Four-time First-team All-Pro (2020, 2021, 2023, 2024)
• Two-time Second-team All-Pro (2018, 2022)
• Six-time Pro Bowler (2018, 2020−2024)

With that resume in mind, it makes sense the Browns would ask for a ransom in return.

What the Cleveland Browns would ask for in a trade

A good model for this trade would be something similar to what the Bears gave up to obtain Mack back in the 2018 season.

What the Bears sent to the Raiders: 2019 first-round pick, 2020 first-round pick, a 2020 third-round pick and a 2019 sixth-round pick.

What the Bears got from the Raiders: Mack, a 2020 second-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2020.

Acquiring a player like Mack, or Garrett in this case, costs a lot. If Mack demanded multiple first-round picks back in 2018, then Garrett should demand the same as a player who has been an All-Pro in six of his eight NFL seasons with an incredibly similar resume.

Any team acquiring Garrett for that price will most likely extend him, too. It would make little sense to mortgage that much future draft capital for one player just to get only two years of that player. Garrett has two years remaining on his five-year, $125 million contract that guaranteed him $100 million.

For reference, the Bears traded for Mack and then signed him to a six-year, $141 million extension, which made him the highest-paid player in NFL history.

CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 29: Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns takes the field before playing the game against the Miami Dolphins at Huntington Bank Field on December 29, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Why the Chicago Bears should trade for Myles Garrett

The Bears are a team that has done this before.

In 2018, they got a first-year head coach in Matt Nagy who inherited a second-year, first-round pick at quarterback, plenty of young and improving pieces on defense, juiced up the offense, traded for Mack, won 12 games and won the NFC North.

The 2025 Bears have a first-year head coach in Ben Johnson who inherited a second-year, first-round pick at quarterback, plenty of young and improving pieces on defense. They haven't juiced up the offense yet, but they could acquire Garrett in a trade that would change the complexion of what the Bears should be in 2025. It would mean the Bears have the tools and the talent to keep up with the Packers, Lions and Vikings, which was what the Mack trade did in 2018.

It needs to be said that the Bears have a premiere pass rusher in Montez Sweat. They traded a second-round pick for him, but needs a compliment on the other side of the defensive line which would maximize the pass rush alongside Andrew Billings and Gervon Dexter Sr.

The Bears' main needs lie on the defensive line and on the offensive line. Adding Garrett would mean the Bears opt for one of the best ways to fill one of their biggest needs, which means they're ready to take a next step as a team that aims to contend in the NFC North. It would also mean neither of the likes of Green Bay, Detroit and Minnesota add Garrett and become a clear NFC North favorite.

Why the Chicago Bears shouldn't trade for Myles Garrett

It doesn't feel too long ago that the Bears entered the 2024 season with a rookie quarterback and a team that was expected to challenge for a playoff spot and maybe the NFC North title.

Fast-forward to the present day. The Bears now have Johnson at head coach, the tenth-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and an offensive line that needs to be redone. Plus, they can't jump the gun on this. The Bears need to face the reality that they aren't on the cusp of contending.

The NFC North is arguably the best division in football, and the Bears have too many holes on their roster to fill. While the Bears do have plenty of cap space to fix their roster with, their best bet to develop a contending roster for multiple years, instead of Nagy's lone 12-win season, is by drafting and developing players.

Adding Garrett would be an instant shot in the arm for Dennis Allen's defense, to be sure. Adding a potential Hall of Fame player is worth the price, but the Bears will have four picks in the first three rounds of the draft. Those picks could add a start to the offensive line and add depth to key skill players.

The Bears would be better off keeping their draft capital – and using it.