On a day where news broke left and right across the NFL, this deal came completely out of nowhere. The Los Angeles Rams have traded for Cleveland Browns superstar defensive end Myles Garrett, sending shockwaves throughout the league. It is a move that gives Cleveland valuable resources to help kick-start the Todd Monken era while giving the Rams another elite superstar to add to a roster already loaded with talent. The Rams receive Myles Garrett in exchange for defensive end Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 2nd, and a 2029 3rd.
June 1st has become a major off-season date on the NFL calendar because it unlocks significant salary-cap flexibility for teams releasing or trading players. High-profile players with massive contracts are frequently traded right after June 1st because it becomes financially feasible for the acquiring team and minimizes the trading team’s cap hit. In terms of the Myles Garrett trade, this is a prime example of a June 1st blockbuster trade.
Before June 1, if the Browns had traded Garrett, they would have been forced to absorb a massive $64.5 million dead cap hit entirely on their 2026 salary cap. As a result of completing the trade on Monday, June 1, NFL accounting rules allowed Cleveland to spread the financial impact across two seasons. In 2026, the Browns will carry just $15.53 million in dead money, while the remaining $25.56 million shifts to their 2027 salary cap. This structure cleared roughly $8 million in immediate cap space for Cleveland in 2026, turning what once seemed like an impossible financial hurdle into a manageable transaction.
In March, the Browns and Garrett already laid out the groundwork for this June 1 blockbuster trade. They both agreed to a contract modification that deferred a $29.2 million in option bonuses from March until seven days before the regular season starts in September. Because it created zero immediate cap space for the Browns in the spring, analysts at The Athletic noted it was essentially a built-in escape clause. Pushing those bonuses down the calendar ensured that if a team like the Rams became aggressive enough, the Browns could trade Garrett on June 1st without having already paid out massive spring cash bonuses.
As a result of the Browns’ waiting on June 1st to make this deal with the Rams, it protected their future salary cap, aligned with the contract adjustments they made in March, and allowed the Rams to go all-in for a Super Bowl run.
Why the Rams Made the Move
The Los Angeles Rams are known for making blockbuster trades over the past decade. Les Snead, who has been general manager of the Rams since 2012, has not been hesitant to make risky deals he believes would benefit the Rams organization. The Matt Stafford trade, where the Rams sent two first-round picks to Detroit, was a stunning move at the time, as they already had a QB in Jared Goff. If not for that trade, the Rams would not have won Super Bowl LVI, as Stafford propelled the offense to a whole new level.
From 2017 through 2023, the Rams did not make a single first-round selection. Ironically, the player who ended that drought was Verse, who was shipped to the Browns as part of the Garrett trade. So, the Rams are not afraid to give up premium picks, such as first-rounders, if they believe it will benefit them. By acquiring a dominant player like Garrett, the Rams have further cemented themselves as favorites to win Super Bowl 61.
Ever since Aaron Donald retired, though the Rams have been dominant on defense since his departure, they’ve missed a presence like his, where the Rams have an elite superstar defensive player that teams have to game plan around. Adding a player like Garrett fills in that void, as his presence on the defensive line is one to give offensive linemen nightmares the night before playing him.
He dictates offensive formations in which teams regularly shift tight ends, use fullbacks, and keep running backs in to chip-block to slow him down. He’ll command constant double-teams as he routinely draws the highest double-team rates in the NFL. That will benefit the Rams’ defense as a whole, as it’ll free up creative blitzes and suffocate the running game.
In terms of his passing abilities, he has historic closing speed and bend around the edge that forces quarterbacks to step up prematurely or release the ball before routes develop. As a result of his pure pass-rushing skills, Garrett broke the single-season sack record with 23.0 sacks, held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt with 22.5 sacks.
Along with his record-breaking 23.0 sacks, Garrett had 60 combined tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 84 total pressures, 14 direct quarterback hits, and 45 hurries. He was ranked 1st out of 115 qualified NFL edge defenders with a near-perfect 92.7 overall defensive grade and a 93.3 pass-rush grade.
This Rams roster is stacked with superstar talent like Stafford, Davante Adams, Puca Nacua, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and now add Garrett to that list. Garrett joins a Rams defensive line that includes Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, and Poona Ford on the interior side of the ball, with Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart on the edge.
Why the Browns Agreed to the Deal
As much of a surprise as this blockbuster deal is, Garrett leaving the Cleveland Browns should come as no surprise, as he’s requested the Browns to trade him in the past. During Super Bowl week in February of 2025, Garrett dropped the news that he requested a trade out of the Browns organization via a statement that was obtained by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Browns remained firm about not trading Garrett, as they were now in a standoff with him.
As a result, a resolution was reached as the Browns and Garrett would later come to a resolution as they agreed on a massive $160 million contract extension to stay in Cleveland.
Fast forward to the 2026 NFL offseason, and Garrett hasn’t said anything about requesting a trade, but hasn’t really been involved in the Browns’ offseason activities. He has not participated in their offseason programs and has had zero contact with the new Browns head coach, Todd Monken. After adjusting Garrett’s contract, he became more of an intriguing trade target around the league, and that’s when the Rams called.
According to ESPN’s Adam Shafter, the Browns were “adamant” that they had no interest in trading Garrett, but the Rams were a “persistent pursuit”. Fast forward to June 1, a day that benefits NFL teams across the league, the Rams and the Browns finally reached an agreement that sent Garrett to the Rams.
This will sting for the Browns organization and their fans, as Garrett has essentially been the Browns’ face of the franchise for nine seasons and one of the best defensive players in team history. Garrett, who was the Browns’ first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, has put together a Hall of Fame career during his time in Cleveland. During his Browns career, Garrett collected 125.5 career sacks across 134 regular-season games, which is a Browns all-time career record. Along with 412 total tackles, 149 TFL’s, 239 quarterback hits, 23 forced fumbles, and 6 fumble recoveries.
But, clearly, both sides agreed it was time to move on, as Myles Garrett even waived his no-trade clause to make this deal happen.
The Browns do benefit in this trade and made the deal for a reason. They acquired draft capital to help Todd Monken build the team in his vision and secured a young pass rusher like Verse, who is not Garrett, but is an elite edge rusher who is a pro-bowler in each of his first two seasons with the Rams, and won defensive rookie of the year in 2024. This trade will help rebuild the Browns roster to a younger core that will help Cleveland in the future.
In terms of their financial status for the Browns, the trade wipes Garrett’s remaining extension off the books and saves the Browns over $30 million in immediate cash payouts that were due shortly before the season started. Removing Garrett’s massive $28 million and $30 million cap hits scheduled for the late 2020s gives the front office a blank financial slate to build a deep, well-rounded roster.
Final Thoughts
June 1 has certainly been a crazy news day in the NFL for a multitude of reasons. On a day where OBJ is officially back with the New York Giants and A.J. Brown was traded to the Patriots, this Myles Garrett trade adds more to the insane news day. What’s crazy is that the OBJ signing and A.J. Brown trade were expected to happen, but Myles Garrett going to an NFC juggernaut like the Los Angeles Rams was not something that many people predicted to occur today.
Myles Garrett, though he had suffered many losing seasons during his Browns career, was key to ending their 17-year playoff drought in 2020 and helped them win their first playoff game since 1995. He cemented a Hall of Fame career with Cleveland and was a dominant force for nine seasons. The Myles Garrett trade was seen to happen eventually; today is the day it happens.
Both teams, along with Myles Garrett, benefit as the Browns stock up on draft capital and help themselves financially, the Rams get another superstar player, and Myles Garrett gets a shot at earning a ring.
