Browns finalize blockbuster Myles Garrett trade to the Rams

The Browns closed the book on one of the most defining defensive careers in franchise history, finalizing a trade that sent Myles Garrett to the Rams for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick and additional draft compensation. The deal gave Cleveland a premium edge rusher in Verse plus future capital, while clearing the way for a roster reset that had been made more plausible by a March contract modification that improved the Browns’ post-June 1 flexibility.

Garrett leaves Cleveland at 30 after spending all nine of his NFL seasons with the Browns, who selected him No. 1 overall in the 2017 draft. His production was as consequential as his pedigree: 125.5 sacks, seven Pro Bowl selections and AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2023 and 2025. He also set the league’s single-season sack record with 23 in 2025, a peak that made any move involving him one of the biggest personnel decisions in the NFL this year.

For Cleveland, the trade signaled more than a simple exchange of assets. It stripped the defense of its signature pass rusher and confirmed that the organization was willing to trade even a player who had become the face of its front seven. The timing mattered, too. A revised contract structure in March had opened the door to a deal after June 1, giving the Browns a path to move Garrett without absorbing the full immediate cap hit that had complicated earlier trade chatter.

Todd Monken added to the sense that Garrett’s future had already been unsettled inside the building. Speaking at the Browns Foundation Golf Tournament in Akron, Ohio, the head coach said he was not assured Garrett would be on the team when he took the job in January and that he had not yet spoken with him since arriving. That level of uncertainty, coming from the head coach, underscored how far the process had advanced before the trade became public.

For the Rams, the move was a clear win-now swing. Pairing Garrett with Los Angeles sent a strong message about how elite pass rushers are being priced in the current market: a 30-year-old defender with record-setting production still commanded a blue-chip young edge rusher, a first-round pick and more. For the Browns, the return may help shape the next roster cycle. For Garrett, it ends a Cleveland era that began as the No. 1 pick and closed with record numbers, major hardware and a trade that will define both franchises.