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Deatrich Wise Jr. (l). Myles Garrett (c), Matthew Judon (r)
The New England Patriots finished 2024 at 4-13, their second straight season with the same dismal record. There was obviously a lot wrong with the once-dominant franchise that is now six years removed from the sixth and final Super Bowl victory of a two-decade dynasty. In a span of 18 seasons from 2001 to 2018, the Patriots earned nine total Super Bowl appearances, 13 trips to the AFC championship game and 16 AFC East division first-place finishes. They also won the AFC East in 2019.
What caused the Patriots sudden, dizzying decline? The causes are numerous and complex, but over the past couple of years few aspects of the New England game have been more deficient that the pass rush. Opposing quarterbacks could get away with pretty much anything against a pass rush that ranked as the worst in the league, finishing 32nd out of 32 in sacks and sack percentage, while landing hits on the QB less often than all but one other team.
All-Pro Pass Rusher Suddenly Available, Maybe
On Monday, a possible solution to that crippling problem suddenly presented itself when Myles Garrett, who in 2024 racked up his fifth straight All-Pro season with 14 sacks, a league-leading 22 tackles for loss of yardage, and 28 hits on the quarterback, posted a statement online publicly requesting a trade from the Cleveland Browns, the team that made the Texas A&M All-American the first overall pick in the NFL draft back in 2017.
By contrast with Garrett, Deatrich Wise and Keion White led the 2024 Patriots in sacks with five each. White’s 16 quarterback hits were the most on the New England defense.
“As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl — and that goal fuels me today more than ever,” the 29-year-old Garrett wrote in his online statement. “The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl. With that in mind, I have requested to be traded from the Cleveland Browns.”
It should be noted that the Browns have responded to Garrett’s request, denying that they have any intention of trading the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year.
While it appears that Garrett would choose to end up with an immediate Super Bowl contender, the fact is, he does not have a choice — if the Browns choose to honor his request and trade him. Garrett does not have a no-trade clause in his five-year, $125 million contract with the Browns. The Patriots, who could revolutionize their defense by adding Garrett, may have several advantages in the competition to acquire him, even though they will not be ready to compete for a Super Bowl for at least the next few years.
First, new head coach Mike Vrabel worked with Garrett in 2024, in Vrabel’s lone season as a coaching consultant with Cleveland.
Patriots Could Acquire a ‘Planet Player’ in Garrett
“Adding a premier pass-rusher like Garrett would give Mike Vrabel the type of “planet player” — an old Bill Parcells term for someone with rare physical talent around whom a team could be built — on his defensive front who would give opposing offensive coordinators fits on a weekly basis,” wrote Patriots insider reporter Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston.
More importantly, the Patriots have an important commodity to trade, one that could help the Browns who finished 3-14 in 2024 rebuild in a hurry — the No. 4 overall draft pick. Acquiring that pick in exchange for Garrett would give Cleveland two of the 2025 draft’s top four picks.
The Patriots are one of the few teams that could easily afford to take on Garrett’s paycheck, as well as sign him to an extension. New England has an NFL-high $120 million in free salary cap space.
“Depending on how Garrett feels about rising second-year quarterback Drake Maye and the Patriots’ ability to increase the talent across the depth chart,” wrote Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports, “New England could be primed to bounce back rather quickly under this new coach-quarterback regime, giving him a shot to play more meaningful games late in the year.”
