The trade of Myles Garrett by the Cleveland Browns came out of the blue, even with the growing rumors about its possibility. The persistence by the Los Angeles Rams got the job done, removing the chance of a bidding war that possibly took place before the 2026 NFL Draft and could have reemerged before the trade deadline this season.
As such, some observers called out Browns general manager Andrew Berry because he didn’t maximize the return they received for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year and NFL single-season sacks record-holder. Others see the package of Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks as a fair exchange with some upside.
Browns legend Hanford Dixon recently said he believes other teams would have paid more for Garrett in a trade, and there are general managers around the NFL who are kicking themselves for not getting involved.
“I guarantee you, we got a bunch of GMs around the league that are probably saying to themselves, ‘If that’s all they wanted for him, we’d have gave ’em that,'” Dixon said.
Should the Browns have asked for more back in a trade for Myles Garrett? #DawgPound@HanfordDixon29 & @JoshCribbs16 had a viral debate over the weekend. 👀
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Those GMs have no one to blame but themselves. Despite publicly claiming they were not going to deal Garrett and that he would be a Browns player for life, the organization telegraphed its true intentions by changing the wording of his contract to make him easier to trade.
The Rams saw that clearly, and they conducted extensive negotiations with the Browns in trying to get Garrett, whom they reportedly had been trying to acquire for years. Los Angeles also said it did not want to part with Verse, but it eventually included him in the package to get the deal done.
If Berry is to be believed, he would not have traded Garrett without getting a top-level young player who played a premier position and was cost-controlled in return. That describes Verse perfectly, and there are likely very few teams in the NFL that would have, or could have, parted with a player of his caliber for an older replacement.
But the Rams are on a very different timeline than most teams in the league, trying to win another Super Bowl before veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford retires. So, they were willing to swap age for production with the hopes of reaching that goal.
Meanwhile, the Browns are expecting that this move will pay off with a complete franchise turnaround in the next couple of years.
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