The Detroit Lions are arguably one elite pass-rusher shy of a Super Bowl roster and missed out on a golden opportunity to land Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett last week.
The Cleveland Browns sent Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for defensive end Jared Verse, plus one first-round pick, a second-round selection and a third-rounder in 2027, 2028 and 2029, respectively. Bill Barnwell of ESPN addressed the deal on the Friday, June 5 edition of his podcast and named Detroit as team most likely to regret missing out on Garrett.
“I felt like the team that could benefit the most from adding Myles Garrett was not the Los Angeles Rams … I thought the Detroit Lions,” Barnwell said. “And I’ve been arguing this for years with Matt Crosby, with Trey Hendrickson. I really feel like, because they haven’t had that second great edge-rusher next to Aidan Hutchinson, or replacing Aidan Hutchinson when he’s been injured, it’s really cost them.”
“It just feels like that would be the one big swing left for [GM] Brad Holmes to take,” Barnwell wrote.
Lions May Have Struggled to Trade for Myles Garrett Without Player Like Jared Verse to Send Back in Deal
GettyCleveland Browns defensive end Jared Verse.
Detroit would have had some challenges absorbing Garrett’s massive longterm contract, which includes a four-year extension for $160 million beginning in 2027 and is now functioning as a five-year deal worth $204 million total after the Rams reworked the language post-trade.
The Lions have handed out several lucrative contracts in recent years to players like quarterback Jared Goff, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams and inside linebacker Jack Campbell. Meanwhile, new and expensive deals are likely soon on the way for running back Jahmyr Gibbs, safety Brian Branch and tight end Sam LaPorta.
However, creative accounting via bonus structures and pushing salary cap hits into future years can render expensive rosters tenable, which is something the Rams are doing currently with a pricey personnel group of their own.
Barnwell noted that the bigger concern for Detroit in trading for Garrett would have been the lack of a premium pass-rusher to send back to Cleveland in the move.
“The problem for them, and I think for a lot of other teams who would have been interested in Myles Garrett, is that they didn’t have Jared Verse,” Barnwell continued. “They did not have that young, premium pass-rusher that really made this deal work for the Cleveland Browns.”
Lions Have Assets to Pursue Mid-Season Trade for Maxx Crosby
GettyLas Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.
With Garrett now off the table, Crosby is the logical target for Detroit if the team decides to take the swing Barnwell has advised.
The Baltimore Ravens offered two first-round picks for Crosby and secured him from the Las Vegas Raiders via that bid before calling the whole thing off due to a failed physical. Reports from various insiders indicate that a Crosby trade is now unlikely to happen before the start of the season, as the most logical time for such a move would have been just before, or during, the draft.
However, Barnwell noted that a mid-season, pre-deadline agreement remains feasible under several sets of circumstances that might reasonably come to pass. The Raiders have already shown a willingness to trade Crosby, and to do so absent a player like Verse in return. That is a deal the Lions could potentially make.
The crumbling of the trade with the Ravens probably dropped Crosby’s value, and two first-rounders may no longer be a viable return.
However, Barnwell said a future first-rounder plus another pick would be a reasonable common ground. If Crosby plays well over the first couple months of the year, that second asset could fall somewhere on Day 2 in 2028, or the like. Detroit owns all of its draft capital through all seven rounds in each of the next two drafts.
Crosby has tallied 69.5 sacks across his seven years in the NFL (110 regular-season games played) and is a five-time Pro Bowler.
Lions Dubbed Big Losers in Myles Garrett Trade, Advised to Deal for 70-Sack Superstar