During Monday’s PFT Live, I tried to do a seat-of-the-pants estimate of the potential cap consequences to the Browns of a Myles Garrett trade. I should have found a belt.

I thought the cap hit would be crippling. It’s not. On closer examination of the breakdown posted by Spotrac.com, it looks like the cap charge for a trade before the fifth day of the new league year (March 16) would give the Browns a $32.95 million dead-money charge for 2025.

Garrett’s existing cap number for 2025 is $19.722. The Browns are currently projected to be $27.5 million over the cap, with dead money of $39.73 million. They’ll realize significant savings if/when they restructure Deshaun Watson’s deal (again). He currently has a cap charge in excess of $72 million.

Most of Garrett’s 2025 compensation comes in the form of an $18.54 million option bonus due on March 16. If he refuses to play, the Browns would be able to recover the money. (Based on the terms of payment — if, for example, it’s paid out in equal installments during the 18-week regular season — they could simply withhold it and not have to try to recover it.)

Regardless of how the Browns would work their salary-cap magic wand, trading Garrett would create a significant but not insurmountable cap complication. But the Browns already have a significant complication, in the form of a cornerstone player who has decided that the team won’t become a contender during the balance of his career.