Why trading Myles Garrett was the right move for the Browns
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Myles Garrett will go down as one of the greatest Browns players in history. Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
The Browns shocked the NFL world Monday by trading the team's best player.
Driving the news: Cleveland is sending Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for defensive end Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick.
By the numbers: Garrett is the Browns' all-time sack leader, a five-time first-team All-Pro selection and a seven-time Pro Bowler.
- He broke the league's single-season sack record last season en route to his second NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
Flashback: Garrett previously asked for a trade last offseason but signed a four-year contract extension with Cleveland in March 2025.
- The 30-year-old appeared to be untradable until Browns general manager Andrew Berry confirmed the team was negotiating a trade early Monday afternoon.
What they're saying: "We, and more importantly, our fans, have grown up with Myles, and he's an enormous source of pride for our team," Berry said in a statement after the trade was announced.
- "However, as we embark on a new era of Browns football with a young core and a replenished asset base, we felt this move was important to our transition."
💠Troy's thought bubble: The Browns are in rebuild mode and trading Garrett for Verse — the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year — and draft picks was the right move.
- The Browns have the draft capital to move up in the 2027 NFL Draft, if needed, and select a highly touted quarterback like Texas' Arch Manning or Oregon's Dante Moore.
The other side: Even if you're OK with trading Garrett, you may question the compensation.
- Last year, the Dallas Cowboys traded pass rusher Micah Parsons for a Pro Bowl player (Kenny Clark) and two first-round picks.
- In March, the Baltimore Ravens agreed to send two first-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for pass-rusher Maxx Crosby in a trade that was later nixed over medical concerns.
Yes, but: Both Parsons (27) and Crosby (28) are younger than Garrett (30), while Verse was a first-round pick just two years ago.
The bottom line: The success of this trade will depend on Verse's performance and Cleveland's ability to turn its draft picks into a franchise-altering quarterback.