The Dallas Cowboys’ offseason has arrived, which means it’s time for fans of “America’s Team” to lay claim to other teams’ stars in football’s version of Manifest Destiny.

This time around, the Dallas faithful have their eyes set on bringing Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett back home.

Frustrated with the Browns – still drafting in the top five nearly a decade after taking Garrett with the first pick in 2017 – the superstar has suggested that he needs to see a reasonable path to success.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract might not make that possible.

To be frank, a shocking Garrett trade isn’t likely.

He’s an All-World player at the height of his powers and Cleveland could convince him to stay with the help of a shiny new quarterback.

But after an underwhelming Dallas 7-10 campaign, ushering in the offseason with some unbridled optimism can help put a lost season in the rear-view mirror.

And Garrett’s unhappiness in Cleveland – and the fact he’s a DFW native from Arlington and a Texas A&M guy – is enough for us to urge Dallas to take a look at this … and for us to do the same.

The nature of Garrett’s five-year, $125 million contract means there are two distinct paths to a trade: before and after June 1. Unlike releasing a player, teams cannot tag a traded contract with a post-June 1 designation to alleviate the dead cap burden and spread it across the duration of a deal.

Assuming Garrett waits to sign a new deal with his next team, the Browns will pay $36 million in dead cap in 2025, followed by charges of $21.5 million, $10.8 million, and $3.8 million (Over the Cap). If he’s traded after June 1, the dead cap would instead revert to $14.75 million, $10.6 million, $7 million, and $3.8 million – much more manageable.

The teams can arrange to pay some of the freight here. It’s unclear when Garrett would get an extension or how Cleveland would prioritize its cap in a post-Garrett world; it would, however, change the scope of a trade.

Pre-Draft Trade: Dallas receives Garrett, Cleveland receives No. 12, No. 44, 2026 first- and fourth-round picks. Trading for Garrett ahead of April’s 2025 NFL Draft raises the Browns’ asking price, as they’d have less cap space to replace their star and build a competitive roster.

But the Cowboys (especially with Garrett and Micah Parsons together) won’t be expected to pick that early for some time.

This is the best pick Dallas can theoretically send them, and it also offers instant value compared to discounted picks down the line.

It’s possible Cleveland would prefer later picks given the hypothetical rebuild’s extended timeline, but general manager Andrew Berry would rather make that selection than hand it to another executive after another losing season.

Self-interest makes the NFL world go around.

Two first-rounders, a second-round pick, and an early Day 3 selection is awfully expensive. Maybe that’s too big of a pill to swallow for any non-quarterback.

Watching Garrett improve the Detroit Lions or Washington Commanders, though, might hurt more than overpaying for an elite player.

Post-Draft Trade: Dallas receives Garrett, Cleveland receives 2026 and 2027 first- and second-round picks. If the Browns and Garrett decide to stall on a new direction or chew the clock to June, the Cowboys’ offer would change. No longer dealing with the massive dead cap hits softens the blow for Cleveland, but the upside of a top-15 pick would be lost to the passage of time.

Compensating for that, along with having to wait two full seasons for 2027 capital, makes another second-round selection all the more necessary to include.

It’s possible it takes a smattering of Day 3 picks or an extra player to push a deal across the finish line. If Garrett is reasonably within reach, it’d probably be worth tacking on.

To the counter that giving up premium picks is too rich: We get it, especially as Garrett has his foot-injury issues.

At the same time, he just turned 29.

He is arguably the best defensive player in the NFL (this side of Micah, of course.)

And the Cowboys, no matter what the naysayers whine about, can afford whatever the price tag is. … via their $100 million potential cap room.

(See below.) Related: Revealing ‘Blow It Up’ Cowboys Path To $100M in 2025 Cap Room Virtually any other offseason exercise is more worthwhile than wishing upon a star for a future Hall of Famer, but the idea of Parsons and Garrett together – with a ball-hawking secondary and franchise quarterback carrying their weight – is enticing enough to daydream about as more fortunate teams get the thrill of January football.