The Lions can't completely sit out of the conversation about trading for Myles Garrett, and they clearly aren't.
A month ago, on Feb. 3, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett commandeered Super Bowl week by making his trade request public and talking about it as he made the rounds on Radio Row. The Browns have persistently said they aren't trading him, but now it's out there he will not sign a contract extension with them.
The Detroit Lions have been easy to tie to Garrett, with a need for an edge rusher and the easy push for them to make an all-in move. Last week at the NFL Combine, general manager Brad Holmes crushed that idea by saying "probably not" when asked if adding another high-end edge rusher was possible.
Also from on the ground at the combine, John Maakaron of SI.com reported the Lions are among multiple teams who have called the Browns about Garrett. As a tentacle of that, Kimberly Martin of ESPN reported the Lions were the team most interested in Garrett at last season's trade deadline.
The Lions cannot just sit out of the Garrett conversation in deference to it being to costly to acquire him, as teams they are competing with potentially enter the fray.
The Lions have not been able to cover up their interest in Myles Garrett
Among a bunch of notes regarding what he learned at the combine, Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire noted Martin's report about the Garrett situation while adding some insight he gathered.
"Now that Garrett has requested a trade, I talked to sources from both teams who verified that the Lions have contacted the Browns again about Garrett's availability. Nothing specific on any potential offers, but the Lions clearly haven't given up on adding Garrett, the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year."
So the Lions unsurprisingly had interest in Garrett at the trade deadline after Aidan Hutchinson went down with a broken leg. And since Garrett went public with his trade request last month, multiple reports say they've checked in with the Browns again.
Risdon noted the obvious unlikelihood the Lions get Garrett. But that doesn't mean an effort shouldn't be made, and they are clearly doing basic due diligence as arguably the best edge rusher in the league tries to land with a contender.
