Trade grades: Breaking down the Myles Garrett blockbuster

In the splash of all offseason splashes, the Los Angeles Rams stunned the football world Monday with a deal to acquire superstar pass-rusher Myles Garrett. The Cleveland Browns receive third-year defensive end Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick in exchange for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Let's break down both sides of the monumental swap.

Rams

Calling the Rams a Super Bowl contender doesn't do justice to the way this team is coming together. "Juggernaut" might be a more appropriate term.

It's rare that acquiring a single non-quarterback can reasonably be expected to put a club over the top. Then again, there aren't many players like Garrett. That's why the Rams were comfortable paying this price.

Giving up Verse - one of the NFL's brightest young stars at the position - along with premium picks in each of the next three drafts makes this one of the more expensive acquisitions in league history. Some might cringe at the idea of parting with an excellent young edge defender and significant draft capital for a 30-year-old pass-rusher. To that, I say: Flags fly forever.

Adding a game-wrecker like Garrett to this defense - an excellent unit already bolstered by the offseason addition of All-Pro corner Trent McDuffie - is a dream move for a Rams team looking to maximize what remains of Matthew Stafford's pro career. While it's impressive enough that Garrett is coming off a year in which he racked up 23 sacks, breaking a single-season record that had stood since 2001, the feat is even more jaw-dropping when you consider the context.

If Garrett is so proficient at getting after the quarterback that he can stuff the stat sheet in historic fashion on a five-win Browns team, what will his production look like on a powerhouse that will actually be defending leads? The idea of the NFL's most freakishly talented pass-rusher getting to pin his ears back on a regular basis - as part of a stacked Rams defensive front, no less - should strike fear into the hearts of offensive lines around the league. Best of luck figuring out how to attack this unit.

While we're here, it's worth mentioning that this deal also changes my perspective on the Ty Simpson pick. I originally thought the Rams squandered an opportunity to go all-in by not using the No. 13 selection on a player who could make an instant impact. The move was especially confusing for anyone who, like me, considered Simpson to be the type of prospect you could find as a borderline first-rounder in any other draft. Why force it in that spot?

As it turns out, securing their future with Simpson seemingly emboldened the Rams to get aggressive in dealing their draft assets. Not only do they land an immediate game-changer in the form of an all-world pass-rusher, but they also get their quarterback of the future in the building a year (or two) early to learn behind a reigning MVP playing the best football of his career.

Some teams are just better at this stuff than others. Forget the cost. This is a home-run move that has the potential to help the Rams bring home another Lombardi Trophy - and maybe more.

Grade: A

Browns

Trades are often evaluated as if there has to be a clear winner and a loser. Given the shoddy roster-building strategies that are so common around the league, that does often end up being the case. But don't let that influence your perception here: I think this was a no-brainer for the Browns, too.

Losing the best defensive player in football after he broke the single-season sack record obviously hurts in the short term. And for Browns fans hoping to see Garrett follow in the footsteps of Joe Thomas - who spent his entire Hall of Fame career in Cleveland - this news could be a real gut punch. Indeed, it briefly seemed like the monster extension Garrett signed last offseason might silence the trade chatter once and for all.

But then Garrett and the Browns reportedly agreed to modify that deal, pushing his annual option bonus dates from late March until seven days before the start of the season. At that point, the writing was on the wall: A trade window extending deep into the summer was the only real benefit of that adjustment for either side.

The Browns have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future after a productive offseason highlighted by another strong draft class. Still, with no long-term answer in place at quarterback, Cleveland wasn't going to be in position to compete this year. And, if we're being realistic about the AFC, perhaps not in 2027, either.

With that in mind, it made sense for the Browns to remain open to the possibility of being blown away by an offer for Garrett. I'd say this is the type of deal the Browns couldn't possibly refuse.

Verse, a first-round pick in 2024, earned Pro Bowl honors in each of his first two seasons. He's well on his way to a big payday of his own, but he still has three years left on his rookie contract. Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported after the trade that the Rams fought to keep Verse out of this deal. The Browns held firm, though, and landed an ascending star pass-rusher who is a better fit for their timeline than Garrett. And that's only the beginning.

Crucially, the 2027 first-rounder gives the rebuilding Browns a pair of Day 1 picks for the second time in as many years. In a quarterback draft that's shaping up to be much stronger than the thin class we saw in April, that extra capital could make all the difference when it comes to moving around the board in pursuit of a young passer.

Add in the Day 2 picks for each of the two years that follow and this return blows the Micah Parsons deal out of the water. Parsons was dealt to Green Bay just weeks before the start of the 2025 regular season, with a pair of first-round picks going back to Dallas. Garrett is the more accomplished player of the two. But considering the age difference at the time of their respective trades (Garrett at 30, Parsons at 26), it's hard to imagine how the Browns could have fared any better here.

Again, Garrett's departure is a significant blow to Cleveland's already slim chances of making a surprise playoff push this year. But this deal is about the future. Assuming the Browns can stay committed to building the right way, and ownership doesn't have another Deshaun Watson-type disaster up its sleeve, capitalizing on this opportunity could very well set the stage for a bright future in Cleveland. It's been a long time coming.

Grade: A