The 49ers trading for Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett is unlikely ... but not impossible.
Garrett formally requested a trade from the Browns on Feb. 3, and although Cleveland has expressed no desire to move the former Defensive Player of the Year, many believe the team ultimately will at some point this offseason.
The 49ers, who long have sought a pass-rush complement opposite defensive end Nick Bosa, likely will be one of many teams to inquire with the Browns about a trade for Garrett. While San Francisco, led by president of football operations/general manager John Lynch, has a history of making splashy moves, ESPN's Bill Barnwell explained in his latest column why the 49ers are one of the "unlikely but plausible" suitors for Garrett.
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"Could the 49ers have done this while Brock Purdy was on a rookie deal? Yes," Barnwell wrote. "We've seen them get aggressive in trading for potential Hall of Fame talent, making deals for Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams. They already had a massive investment at one edge rusher spot in Nick Bosa, but general manager John Lynch has spent heavily in free agency recently to add Javon Hargrave, Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos, who combine to make $40 million per year. In a universe where Garrett comes available earlier, the 49ers could have theoretically spent less at defensive tackle and shelled out future picks to add Garrett to what was already a championship-caliber core.
"Purdy is about to get a massive raise, though, and that limits a lot of San Francisco's flexibility. The 49ers are already about to cut Hargrave and will either cut or trade Deebo Samuel. They might not be able to bring back free agents Charvarius Ward and Dre Greenlaw. And with all of the money they've invested in Bosa, it's tough to see them committing even more to a second edge rusher. Still, they have also shown that if they truly believe they can add a transcendent player, they'll do whatever they can to make it work."
The 49ers currently have $48.3 million in salary cap space before some of the potential moves Barnwell outlines.
However, with Purdy likely to sign a lucrative contract extension this offseason, plus the roster holes the team needs to address in free agency, San Francisco likely won't have much money to spend now and in the future.
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Garrett has two years remaining on the five-year, $125 million contract he signed with Cleveland in July 2020, and likely would want a new extension with whichever team he potentially is traded to.
That potential contract likely would pay Garrett more than $30 million annually, a price tag the 49ers already are paying for Bosa and might not be able to make work with their current and future salary commitments.
However, if there's one thing Lynch and executive vice president of football operations Paraag Marathe have proven in the past, it's that there usually is a way to make a contract work.