Howie Roseman dodges Myles Garrett question, while Browns GM says star pass rusher is not available

With the NFL scouting combine set to begin Thursday, the league’s rumor mill is in full churn. And no one is garnering as much attention as Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who requested a trade out of Cleveland earlier this month.

But if Howie Roseman has any interest in trading for Garrett, you wouldn’t know it from his appearance at the NFL combine. The Eagles general manager politely dodged a question Tuesday about interest in the Browns All-Pro defender.

“‘I’m not going to talk about anyone under contract with another team,” Roseman said. “One thing I can promise our fans is that there will not be a player that’s available that we won’t study, that we won’t look at and see if we can help the team.”

“Sometimes those opportunities work,” Roseman added. “And sometimes they don’t.”

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As for Eagles players, they don’t seem to be afraid to share their desire to join forces with Garrett. When asked on a podcast last week to name one player he’d like to play with, wide receiver A.J. Brown named the Browns edge rusher.

“I would say Myles Garrett,” Brown said on the Kickin’ It With Dee podcast. “Adding him with Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith. I don’t know what’s going to happen to Josh Sweat or Milton [Williams].”

But none of that may matter, as Browns general manager Andrew Berry reiterated Tuesday that the team has no interest in trading the 2023 defensive player of the year.

Berry’s consistent stance that Cleveland won’t trade Garrett didn’t stop ESPN senior NFL writer Jeremy Fowler from speculating what it would take for Garrett to end up on another team, potentially the Eagles.

“So, way early connecting some dots here, admittedly, but this is a conversation that some people in the league have had,” Fowler said on Get Up on Tuesday, adding the ”expectation” is the Eagles edge rusher Sweat — who led the team with eight sacks this season — will sign elsewhere during free agency.

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Fowler’s hypothetical scenario centers around Roseman getting involved in trade talks if the Washington Commanders show interest in landing Garrett.

“If that was to gain traction, Howie Roseman would likely step in to try and make a deal that is too hard for the Cleveland Browns to refuse,” Fowler said, before reminding everyone the Browns remain a “hard no” on trading Garrett.

“I’m told that not that many teams have even called because the Browns have made clear it makes zero sense for them to trade Myles Garrett,” Fowler said.

So what does Garrett think about the possibility of playing in Philadelphia next season? For now, he’s keeping his cards close to his chest.

“I think they’re looking great,” Garrett told Jason Kelce earlier this month during an interview on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown ahead of the Super Bowl. “I think [the Eagles’] front four is outstanding. I’m liking how all these young guys are really getting after it.”

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Bringing Garrett to Philadelphia could also be cost-prohibitive. He’s under contract for two more seasons, with a cap hit of $19.72 million in 2025 and $20.37 million in 2026. He has one void year in 2027, where Garrett would still be on the books for $40.92 million. However, recent news of the cap increasing by $10 million more than expected could help Roseman get creative.

A trade would also likely require the Eagles to part with more than just their first-round pick in the upcoming draft, considering they’ll pick at No. 32.

One thing worth noting: The Browns GM Berry worked for Roseman as the Eagles’ vice president of football operations during the 2019 season.