Browns GM Andrew Berry talks about possible trade for DE Myles Garrett
Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry spoke about the team potentially trading DE Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams.
The start of summer is drawing a lot of attention in the NFL.
The Cleveland Browns are trading Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. The team officially announced it on June 1st at 4pm ET.
The deal sends 2027 first-round pick Jared Verse and other draft compensation to the Browns in exchange for Garrett. The All-Pro Edge is the latest superstar to finally join the Rams, who continue to grow toward the next Super Bowl in the Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford era.
LA narrowly missed out in 2025 and is determined to avoid the same mistake in 2026. It would return to the familiar team-building strategy that helped establish the Rams as one of the best teams in the NFL. The Rams are always willing to part with draft picks in exchange for superior talent.
Coincidentally, the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year was available for trade.
Of course, the Browns have never officially announced their intention to trade the star. However, a contract change in March and a proposed rule change regarding draft pick trades five years from now make an agreement more likely. Cleveland ultimately withdrew the proposal, but it wasn’t hard for people to connect the dots.
Head coach Todd Monken added fuel to the fire by admitting he had not met with Garrett in person. Prior to the trade news, Monken told reporters on June 1 that there was no guarantee Garrett would be on the roster.
And now he won’t be.
Garrett had 23 sacks on the season, a new single-season sack record. Even though the Browns lost a lot, it wasn’t because of Garrett. Now he has a chance to chase a ring in Hollywood.
He hopes the ending will be like the movie.
Ram receives:
The Browns will receive:
- Jared Verse
- 2027 first round pick
- 2028 2nd round pick
- 2029 3rd round pick
The Browns took every opportunity to thank Garrett for his nine stellar seasons in Cleveland.
“Miles never stopped raising the bar for what greatness looks like,” the team wrote in a social media post. “We are grateful for every memory and every milestone of these unforgettable nine years.”
Meanwhile, Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam also praised the 30-year-old in a statement, calling his contributions to the team “immeasurable.”
“Myles Garrett has been the best player on our team since he was drafted in 2017 and is one of the best defensive players in the history of the game,” the Haslams said. “His legacy is immeasurable, and we cannot adequately express our gratitude to him for his play and for being a great player for the Cleveland Browns over the past nine years. He left a deep mark on our franchise, our fans and the Dawg Pound.”
Garrett also received praise from Browns general manager Andrew Berry, who explained to fans the team’s decision to trade the star pass rusher.
“We have long taken the position that our goal is for Myles Garrett to be a player who wears one helmet throughout his life,” Berry said. “After setting records and representing our organization with excellence, we entered this offseason with that desire in good faith and never imagined a world in which Miles wasn’t a Cleveland Brown.
“When the Rams first approached us about potentially trading Miles, we remained guilty of our position, but as the discussion intensified, we found ourselves at a legitimate crossroads. Do we retain a true generational player who has become the identity of our team, or do we make the difficult decision we think is best for the organization long-term?”
“Within that framework, the decision became clear, although our emotions were mixed. We, and more importantly, our fans, have grown with Miles, and he is a source of great pride for our team. But as we embark on a new era of Browns football with a young core and replenished asset base, we felt this move was important to our transition.”
“The main consideration in making this decision was to add Jared Verse, a player that our fan base likes. We have a young, elite player at the best position, a 25-year-old two-time Pro Bowl and Defensive Rookie of the Year winner who will continue to improve in his third NFL season.” Jared’s passion and relentless style of play will be well-received by our fans, and he will fit perfectly into our established defensive identity. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Dawg Pound.
“While we recognize the unexpected nature of this trade, it represents a tremendous opportunity for our franchise. We are excited to welcome Jared to our organization. We also have cap flexibility and draft pick resources to deploy across the remainder of our roster, allowing us to add an up-and-coming core on both sides of the ball.”
Garrett gave Browns fans nothing but love on his way out of Cleveland. He posted a lengthy statement on his social media accounts, thanking “Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, and all Browns fans” for the way they treated him during his nine years with the team.
“You embraced me from the first play, and I wanted to help bring victory back to a city where loyalty, resilience, and faith have never wavered,” Garrett wrote in part. “What I didn’t fully understand at the time was how much this city would shape me.
“Cleveland made me tougher. You challenged me. You taught me perseverance, trying even when things weren’t easy, and what loyalty looks like. Through the highs, lows, setbacks, injuries, expectations, bad weather, and difficult seasons, you all continued to show up.
“I never took it for granted.”
Garrett continued to thank the fans and the Ohio State community for the support they have given him over the years. He also gave a shoutout to the Haslam family and teammates in his message, and ended his message by saying,
“The best days are ahead for this series. Thank you for helping me grow here. Thank you for believing in me. It’s easy to love you, but hard to part with you. Thank you for nine unforgettable years.”
Below is Garrett’s full statement.
Verse is a 25-year-old edge rusher who was selected by the Rams with the 19th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
He recorded 4.5 sacks, 66 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles and was named the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Verse recorded 7.5 sacks in his sophomore season, along with 58 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 27 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles.
He’s considered a rising star around the league, but he’s been a bit of an afterthought in trades involving future Hall of Famers.
It shouldn’t be overlooked that Verse is a player who fits better with the timeline the Browns are working towards. He’s a young player who can grow with the team, but Garrett is at the peak of his ability to work better with a team looking to win.
Verse is in the third year of a four-year rookie contract worth about $15.1 million. It comes with an AAV of approximately $3.78 million per year.
Because Vaas was a first-round pick, his contract includes a fifth-year option that the Browns can exercise next offseason. If acquired, Vaas would be under contract with the Browns through the 2028 season.
Impact of Myles Garrett trade on Shedule Sanders and others
Nate Davis explains that Garrett is a winner off the field in this deal, while Shedule Sanders and Deshaun Watson are losers. As they compete for the Browns’ 2026 QB1 spot, general manager Andrew Berry can almost rest assured that he has the additional draft capital to save for next year’s first-round draft pick.
Garrett is 30 years old. He was born in Arlington, Texas on December 29, 1995, so he will be 31 years old before his 10th NFL season ends.
Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension with the Browns on March 9, 2025. This was a record-breaking contract at the time, making Garrett the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
It has an average annual value (AAV) of $40 million and includes $123.5 million in guarantees.
Garrett is under contract through the 2030 NFL season.
Garrett was selected by the Browns with the first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and quickly became a star in the league.
Over nine seasons, Garrett played in 134 regular season games and recorded 125.5 sacks. He’s putting up video game-like numbers across the board with 412 total tackles, 149 tackles for loss, 239 quarterback hits, 23 forced fumbles and 18 passes defensed.
In addition, Garrett is a five-time All-Pro, a seven-time Pro Bowler, and a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Garrett holds the NFL single-season sack record, setting the record last season with 23 sacks in 17 games with the Browns.
Garrett’s 125.5 career sacks are tied with Dwight Freeney for 28th most in NFL history. Bill Glass, who ranks second on this list, has 77.5 sacks during his time with the team, by far the most by any Browns member.
Garrett requested a trade in February 2025. When he finally decided to play for the Browns after receiving a hefty contract extension, here’s what he wrote at the time:
“As a kid dreaming of the NFL, I was focused solely on the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl, and that goal drives me today more than ever,” Garrett said in a statement. “My love for the Northeast Ohio community and the Cleveland Browns’ incredible fan base made this one of the most difficult decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the person I am today.”
“I love to call this city home, but the desire to win and compete on the biggest stage will never satisfy me. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it was always to go to the Super Bowl and win it.”
“With that in mind, I requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns.”
Garrett’s intent was to play for a contender, and the Rams certainly fit that mold, even if the trade happens more than a year later.
Will Aaron Donald come out of retirement to join Garrett?
At least one Rams player hopes to join Garrett as another All-Pro on the team.
Cornerback Jalen Watson, who signed with the Rams as a free agent during the 2026 NFL offseason, called on Aaron Donald on social media to come out of retirement and return to Los Angeles.
“(H)it me big bro,” Watson wrote in an X post that tagged Donald’s handle. Donald hasn’t played since 2023 and said earlier this month that he has no intention of returning.
Garrett is dating Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim. The couple was first rumored to be together after appearing at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in Japan in May 2025.
Since then, Kim has been seen at Browns training camps and games, and Garrett attended the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics to cheer on Kim.
The two confirmed their relationship in November 2025.
According to Michael Middlehurst Schwartz of USA TODAY Sports, both teams finished the deal on a high note. Despite parting ways with their best player in a trade, the Rams received an “A” and the Browns received an “A-.”
Read the full breakdown here.
As expected, Garrett is the big winner of this trade. On the flip side, there are plenty of losers, and none bigger than the quarterbacks in the NFC West that keep you up at night thinking about Garrett. USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis broke it down. You can read the full analysis here.
Garrett finished the 2025 season with 23 sacks, a new NFL single-season sack record. This brings his career total to 125.5 sacks, tied for 20th on the official NFL all-time sack list.
According to BetMGM, the Rams are now the clear favorites to win Super Bowl 61. They are listed at +600, with the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks both checking in at +1000.
This story will be updated.
