Why This Was the Right Time to Trade Myles Garrett
The Myles Garrett Era ended in Cleveland today after the Browns agreed to trade their star pass rusher to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a package that includes edge Jared Verse, 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick. While the reaction of Browns fans on social media show that this is an unpopular move (as it tends to be when a franchise player is traded), this was the right move for Cleveland to make.
Last year, Garrett requested a trade, citing a “desire to win,” but ultimately backed down on his request when the Browns signed him to a four-year, $160 million extension that included a no-trade clause and made Garrett the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. The deal included $123.5 million in guaranteed money and a no-trade clause, which Garrett will waive for this trade to go through.
Paying Garrett a record sum made sense at the time, and he returned the favor by putting together a dominant 2025 campaign that saw him break the NFL’s single-season sack record en route to his second Defensive Player of the Year, but at the same time, the Browns went 5-12 and have no clear answer at quarterback. Cleveland has put together just two winning seasons in the nine years Garrett has been in town and at age 30, this is the highest Garrett’s value will be.
Cleveland got a solid return for Garrett. While not in Garrett’s stratosphere (let’s be honest, nobody is), Verse is a talented edge rusher who is five years Garrett’s junior and has made the Pro Bowl in both NFL seasons. He was ninth in pressure score last season with 116 while putting together 80 total pressures. He’s a building block talent who is still on his rookie deal.
Additionally, the Browns got the Rams’ 2027 first-round pick, which presumably will be a late pick. This can help give the Browns some ammunition to trade up if there is a quarterback prospect they love (they are currently picking fourth in our latest mock draft, with three other quarterback-needy teams ahead of them). If the Browns find themselves in a fortuitous position, they now have another first-round pick to continue to build out their roster.
Getting a second-round pick in 2028 and a third-round pick in 2029 also helps the Browns continue to get talent years after Garrett is gone.
Many expected more for Garrett, but his salary prohibited that. The Rams were one of the few teams who had the cap space to take on Garrett now and not have a cap issue in 2027 (they surprisingly had nearly $94 million in cap space in 2027 prior to this trade, per Over the Cap). The only other team with the cap space to take on Garrett now and next season (with a healthy amount of 2027 cap space after) were the Jets, and Cleveland may have been hesitant to trade within their own conference. Limited competition for a player due to these factors can decrease his value.
Ultimately the Rams likely won this trade. They got the best player in the deal and a team who was already favored to win the Super Bowl this year just saw the odds tilt more in their favor, but the Browns’ return is nothing to sneeze at. They need to prepare for cap space in a post-Deshaun Watson world and this trade gives them both financial and draft flexibility while also bringing in a proven player.
