One of the best defenders in all of football has requested a trade, and the Detroit Lions could be major competitors in the market for his services.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett officially announced his wishes to be traded from the team that drafted him first overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. A major part of his desire to be moved is the fact that the Browns are not currently contenders to win a Super Bowl, which is a major goal of his career.

“As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl — and that goal fuels me today more than ever,” read a statement from Garrett released Monday. “My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today.

“While I’ve loved calling this city home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won’t allow me to be complacent,” the statement continued. “The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl. With that in mind, I have requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns.”

On the surface, the Lions seem to be exactly the type of location Garrett would wish to land. Given that he has a desire to win, and the Lions have the pieces in place but have yet to reach the ultimate goal, a pairing between one of the league’s best teams and one of its best individual players makes perfect sense.

However, the major obstacle will be the cost of acquiring one of the league’s best talents at a premium position. Lions general manager Brad Holmes said trading for fellow defensive end Za’Darius Smith, who was with the Browns, was one of the most difficult tasks he’s had given how many of the top edge rushers were considered off limits.

When asked at the Senior Bowl, Browns general manager Andrew Berry told reporters he would not trade Garrett for two first-round picks. Given how product Garrett has historically been, any sort of deal would require the Lions to part ways with several draft picks, including multiple first-round choices.

Cleveland likely won’t be inclined to move the star, and given his previous contract restructures it could leave the Browns with over $36 million in cap charges if a trade were made, according to OverTheCap.

Acquiring Garrett would undoubtedly give the Lions one of the league’s best rosters heading into 2025. However, it would come at the cost of multiple first-round picks among other draft choices.

Additionally, his contract running through 2026 would make it very difficult for the Lions to retain some of their top talents. Detroit still has just $22 million in cap space for the 2026 season, and Garrett carries a cap hit of over $20 million for that season.

A good example is the trade Chicago made for 27-year-old Khalil Mack, who was considered one of the best in the league at the time. In that deal, the Bears sent two first-round picks, a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick to the Raiders for Mack, a second and a conditional fifth.

This offers an idea of the potential package it would take a team like Detroit to acquire Garrett.

It leaves Holmes with a decision — go all in and make the deal to acquire a premier talent in exchange for valuable draft capital? Or pass and stick to the team’s draft and develop roots?

This article first appeared on Detroit Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.