The LA Chargers are in the perfect intersection of having resources and needing to take the next step to be a Super Bowl contender. As a result, the Bolts are a team to watch this offseason.
The Chargers are primed to make a big move before the start of the 2025 season that could shake the core of the NFL. With a top-five head coach/quarterback duo in the league, the Bolts absolutely have Super Bowl potential if they make the right moves this offseason.
To some, that right move is trading for superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett. Garrett infamously asked for a trade earlier with the same goal of competing for the Lombardi Trophy. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton thinks the Chargers can get a deal done, proposing the following package between the Browns and Chargers:
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Chargers would get Myles Garrett for a steal in this trade package
Early reports around Garrett’s trade request indicated the star edge rusher would cost two first-round picks if the Browns were to ever trade him. If his market ever reached this price, the Chargers would be foolish not to trade for Garrett.
The 22nd pick in certainly valuable but the 2025 draft class is not as deep as recent years. There is a real chance the Chargers’ top draft targets will all be off the board by the time they are on the clock. With that reality in mind, the Bolts should be open to parting ways with the 22nd pick if it makes sense.
Losing a fourth-round pick in the draft is made up by the three compensatory selections the Chargers are projected to receive. The Bolts would have to wait longer on day three until they are on the clock but Joe Hortiz can still find hidden gems in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.
By getting a 2026 third-round pick in return, the Chargers would essentially just be moving down from the second to third down next year. Los Angeles would still have its first-round pick and two picks on day two of the draft next year. With Cleveland likely being near the top of the draft, and the Chargers likely near the bottom, trading a second for a Cleveland third may only cost the Chargers a dozen spots in the draft order.
The Chargers have the cap space to absorb Garrett’s salary and would be able to free up even more cap space by cutting Joey Bosa. With $70.4 million in cap space, the Bolts can add more pieces alongside Garrett to supplement the roster.
This makes all the sense in the world for the Chargers. There is just one problem — it’s still highly unlikely the Browns trade Garrett, even after his request.
Cleveland is $24 million over the projected salary cap in 2025. Trading Garrett would actually cost the team $16.4 million in dead cap. It’s highly unlikely the Browns would trade their best player to put themselves in a worse salary-cap position.
Cleveland would actually save $4.9 million if the team traded Garrett after June 1. But by then, the 2025 NFL Draft will have passed and the Browns won’t have a chance to acquire immediate draft capital.
That alone may put any type of Myles Garrett trade on ice. But if it can happen, and the Browns are willing to take this kind of trade package, the Chargers would be foolish to pass it up.
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