Myles Garrett’s $160 million contract extension with the Cleveland Browns made him the highest-paid player who is not a quarterback. The star edge rusher is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year honoree and set the single-season sack record last year. There was no way the Browns were going to let him go to any team that approached them with an offer.

“I mentioned on the onset, if we were to trade Myles, it’s a very narrow universe of deals that satisfy it,” Berry told the media on Tuesday. “Everyone wants to have Myles Garrett on their team, but not everyone can afford that acquisition cost in terms of players, picks, and dollars.” 

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Garrett had the chance to be the next Bruce Smith or Reggie white: stars who kept delivering late in their careers. Cleveland was only going to part with him if they got a like-for-like deal.

From the Rams, they are getting young edge rusher Jared Verse, and three draft picks: a first, second, and third-round pick for the 2027, 2028, and 2029 drafts, respectively.

Rarely do teams orchestrate a trade of this kind unless there’s some serious benefit. Garrett had requested a trade in 2025, but it had been put down by the team. Instead, they chose to lock him down with the $160 million extension. But earlier this year, Garrett’s contract was restructured, which allowed his option bonus payments to be deferred. That was the signal that attracted the Rams, who were pretty persistent about this trade, per Ian Rapoport.

“I always told myself that if we were ever in a position to trade Myles, three things would have to be true,” Berry outlined the scenario. “No. 1, it would have to have short and long-term benefits. No. 2, as part of the trade, a young, cost-controlled star at a premium position would have to be included. And the third piece is it would have to be premium draft capital.

“And there’s a very small set of deals that really satisfy those constraints. So, when it got to the point with our negotiations with the Rams when all those things were satisfied, it really caused us to take a step back and really think about the decision.” 

The Rams did not want to part with Jared Verse. But they understood that the Browns would not relent unless they got a player who could at least pack a punch. Eventually, Los Angeles agreed to give up Verse because they knew an opportunity like this would not come up in the near future.

The Rams also had the money needed to pull off such a high-stakes trade. After the 5-12 disaster in 2022, Los Angeles has made personnel decisions wisely by adding younger talent over the years, who had grown into solid contributors and starters. This, in turn, allowed the Rams to enter the season with a bigger purse. ESPN noted that LA was only 25th in the league in projected cash spending this year, before they went all in for Garrett.

The Rams now look like a solid championship contender with the veteran edge rusher joining them. But are the Browns truly getting their money’s worth?

Did the Rams fleece the Cleveland Browns with the Myles Garrett trade?

SB Nation’s Kenneth Arthur, along with many others, claimed that the Browns let the edge rusher go for a lot less than what they could have received. 

First of all, Garrett is worth at least two first-round picks, according to Arthur. Last year, the Cowboys traded Micah Parsons for two first-round picks, and the Jets traded Sauce Gardner for the same. As per Arthur, the Browns making the trade for just one first-round pick made no sense. Garrett has done enough to be part of this exclusive club.

With Garrett gone, the AFC North will also get tough for the Browns. Everyone else in the division is happy because the edge rusher won’t be haunting them anymore – Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow was Garrett’s top target, having sacked him 12 times in his career. With him gone, the Browns defense will have trouble against potent offenses like this one.

The Year 3 edge rusher will be joining Alex Wright, Maliek Collins, and Mason Graham in the Cleveland defensive line. Together, they combined for 20 sacks last year, three short of what Garrett recorded single-handedly. They are all developing talents, but it will take some time for this unit to develop into something solid.

Perhaps it was time for the Browns to let Myles Garrett go. Cleveland is building around younger talent, a fact apparent in the team’s decision to draft Taylen Green when there were three quarterbacks already on the roster.

Will Cleveland successfully reach their goals after making this massive sacrifice? Andrew Berry certainly trusts his team-building philosophy. But only time will tell if the financial flexibility and young talent outweigh the immediate loss of a true generational force.