Cleveland Browns sacrifices a generational icon for an elite young star and a massive pick haul, prioritizing long-term flexibility as the franchise pivots toward a new era.
The ripple effects of the Cleveland Browns blockbuster trade that sent Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams continue to reverberate across the NFL.
As of 4 pm Eastern Time, the deal is officially done. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is headed to LA, while the Browns receive 2024 first-round pick Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick.
Months of speculation over this potential move finally came to a head as the critical June 1 date arrived.
With the trade becoming official, Browns Vice President of Football Operations shared a statement outlining the team's motivations for swinging such a seismic trade.
We have long taken the stance that our goal was for Myles Garrett to be a one-helmet player for his entire career. After rewriting the record books and representing our organization with excellence, we were sincere in that desire as we entered this offseason and did not envision a world where Myles was not a Cleveland Brown.
When the Rams first approached us with the possibility of trading Myles, we remained convicted in our position, but as discussions intensified we were stuck at a legitimate crossroads: do we hold on to a truly generational player who has become the identity of our team, or do we make the difficult decision that we think is best for the organization over the long run?
In that framework, the decision became clear, although our emotions were muddled. We, and more importantly, our fans, have grown up with Myles, and he's an enormous source of pride for our team. 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.
Chief among the considerations to make the decision was the inclusion of Jared Verse--a player our fan base will love. At 25 years old with two Pro Bowls and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award under his belt, we receive a young, elite player at a premium position who will only continue to improve in his third NFL season. Jared’s passion and relentless style of play will be embraced by our fans. He will fit right in with the established identity of our defense. We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome him to the Dawg Pound!
We recognize the unexpected nature of this trade, but it opens up great opportunities for our franchise. We are excited to welcome Jared into the organization, along with the cap flexibility and draft pick resources to deploy to the rest of the roster that will allow us to add to our budding core on both sides of the ball.”
According to Berry, it was persistence from the Rams that seemingly pushed him and his staff to eventually be comfortable with the move. He also outlined the true motivations of the deal to better position the organization for the future, with the stockpile of assets Cleveland got in return.
Team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam also shared their thoughts on the move, highlighting Garrett's greatness and how difficult of a decision it ultimately was.
Myles Garrett has been the best player on our team and one of the best defensive players in the history of the game, since we drafted him in 2017. His legacy is immense and we could never adequately articulate our appreciation for how he played the game and for being the best player he could be for the Cleveland Browns over the last nine years. He has left a deep imprint on our franchise, with our fans and with the Dawg Pound.
Clearly this was not an easy decision, particularly with Myles because we’ve watched him come into our organization and grow like a member of our family. Trading Myles was never our intent, but we also recognize that certain opportunities demand serious consideration, and we believe this is the right move for our team. Adding a young defensive star like Jared Verse, along with valuable draft assets, are necessary to strengthen a talented young core and align with the youth of our team. Our goal continues to be building a consistently winning franchise that our fans and this region deserve, and we believe this move creates the best path towards that.
We met with Myles on Saturday and told him we are extremely grateful for all that he contributed to our team and to our community and that he will always be a Cleveland Brown. We look forward to welcoming him back at the appropriate time and wish him and his family only the best.”
Both statements also made a point to highlight verse a key piece of the trade, who will instantly fill Garrett's role in Cleveland defense with a pass rusher, who is nearly five years younger than Garrett, who just turned 30 in December.
While trading Garrett will certainly be a tough pill for many fans to swallow, Verse brings a load of potential to the Browns defense. Verse had 7.5 sacks last season as a follow-up to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024.
In two seasons, Verse has registered a pass rush win rate of 15.3%. He also ranked second among all edge rushers to Maxx Crosby in run-stop win-rate in the same pan.
Berry is expected to speak in even more detail on the trade on Tuesday morning at the Browns' team facility.
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