When Myles Garrett requested a trade every Atlanta Falcons fan ran to social media to express their desire to see him in red and black. Unfortunately, it appears that was never in the realm of possibility, as the Browns were hanging up the phone.
Somehow, they got him to recant his request -- money does talk, after all. They signed him to an eye-popping four-year, $160-million extension to keep him in Cleveland.
Sadly, the Falcons are down one option, but we should turn our eyes on these three potential trade acquisitions who always seemed like the more likely targets.
3 pass rushers the Falcons need to trade for immediately
Bryce Huff, Philadelphia Eagles
Bryce Huff was supposed to be the Haason Reddick replacement for the Eagles last year; instead, he found himself falling down a deep depth chart.
With ties to Jeff Ulbrich, the former double-digit sack artist becomes an obvious trade target. He holds little value to his current team and pairing him back up with the coach he found the most success with would be a perfect outcome.
The finances make things tricky, however. The Eagles don't save much by trading him so this could be a pay-for-pick scenario. As for the Falcons, inheriting $33 million in remaining cash for a volatile player is risky -- even with a semi-reasonable 'out' in his contract after 2025.
Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
The name everyone would welcome to Atlanta -- Micah Parsons. The generally cheap Dallas Cowboys have been hesitant to pay their superstar defender. There have been rumors that they aren't opposed to trading him, which is crazy.
The Falcons would love to add the player they passed up in 2021. He is an immediate fix to a chronically broken unit but the issues arise in the finances, as usual. How much will you have to pay him as he enters the final year of his rookie deal? Garrett's market-resetting contract didn't help anything.
Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
Here is the one that I am rooting for, Trey Hendrickson is the most underrated pass rusher in the NFL. He has back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks and is rarely recognized as a superstar. You also have to realize that he has had no help around him.
The Bengals are known for not paying their players and the pressure is on them to pay their two star receivers. Hendrickson was granted permission to seek a trade and the Falcons are among the many teams rumored to be interested.
Landing the Bengals star won't require the draft picks that Micah Parsons would but it will require a big contract, something he deserves. Currently, his base salary for 2025 is $15.8M which is a crime. The Falcons should be the team that is finally willing to pay him what he deserves.