Should The Buccaneers Have Traded For Myles Garrett?

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Rams made the splash move of the NFL offseason when they traded star pass rusher Jared Verse and multiple draft picks to the Cleveland Browns for reigning defensive player of the year Myles Garrett. It was a move that made sense for both parties, one in a Super Bowl window and one rebuilding. Now the Rams are undoubtedly the team to beat going into the 2026 season.

As the NFL world processes this trade, most fan bases are left with the same question. “Why didn’t my team make that move?”. It’s a move that makes more sense for some teams more than it does for others, but for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers it’s a very fair question.

Much like the Rams, the Bucs were one of the better teams in the NFC heading into the season. Some analysts have even described Tampa as a Super Bowl contender. This is the type of all in move that the team should have at least considered.

Frankly, the team might have considered it. With their underwhelming pass rush last year, they had looked at several veteran edge rushers this offseason. Still, we are left wondering. Should the Buccaneers have traded for Myles Garrett?

The question is more complicated than a simple yes or no. It’s a yes in the way that every team should acquire a talent like Garrett. That part of the conversation is obvious. But there are a lot more moving parts than that.

First let’s look at compensation. The Rams gave up a first round pick next year and a multi time pro bowl pass rusher on a rookie contract (as well as a pair of day two picks). So the starting point would have to be similar for the Bucs.

As much as I love newly drafted edge rusher Rueben Bain, he certainly isn’t a proven entity like Verse is. Calijah Kancey is probably a comparable talent, but his injury history wouldn’t be attractive to Cleveland. Guys like Yaya Diaby and Cody Mauch would be appealing, but both are on the last year of their deal unlike Verse who has three years left.

The bottom line is that the Bucs just don’t have the young cost controlled star that can compare to Verse. And for a team that is still a few years away from being relevant, the Browns need that cost control element just as much as they need the talent. So in that aspect, it’s a deal the Buccaneers couldn’t match.

But let’s say they put together a different package. Maybe good young players like Tykee Smith and Jalen McMillan plus multiple first round picks as opposed to just one. Could that have got the deal done?

Maybe. Who could say what the Browns interest would be in that. Regardless, the deal would still be very difficult to swing for the Bucs.

Remember that the NFL is a salary cap league. Teams can’t just spend endless money to bring in great players. And even though Garrett is on a relatively good contract considering his level of talent, trading for him would still require bringing in big time dollar amounts to their cap.

Even if they could make it work this year, what would that look like in the future? It would probably come at the expense of signing guys like Diaby, Mauch and Kancey. Or maybe at the expense of quarterback Baker Mayfield who could get a new contract with a significant pay increase if things go well this year.

So even if the Bucs could put together a package that the Browns accepted, it would put them in a one year Super Bowl or bust window. After that, the road would look pretty rocky after likely trading away multiple first round picks.