The Browns agreed Monday, June 1, to trade Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, ending a long standoff around one of the league’s most dominant pass rushers and giving Cleveland Jared Verse and a 2027 first-round pick in return.
The deal lands on the first day the Browns could realistically move Garrett without taking the full hit of his contract on their salary cap. That matters because he is 30 years old, coming off a season in which he set the NFL single-season sack record with 23, and still owns the résumé of a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. For a player that productive, any trade would instantly alter both the Browns’ roster and the balance of power in the AFC.
Garrett had made a public trade demand in early 2025, then signed a rich new extension to stay in Cleveland after the Browns loaded the contract with more than $122 million in new guarantees. In March, the sides also agreed to a modification that deferred $29 million in bonus payments over the next three years, a move that helped push the door open for a trade once June arrived. The Browns also entered the day with about $17 million in cap space, and Garrett’s 2026 cap number was set at $23.8 million.
That financial setup is why the timing matters. After June 1, the Browns could split about $41 million in dead money from a Garrett trade over two seasons, with $15.53 million landing on the 2026 cap and $25.56 million in 2027. A move after Monday would also create around $8 million in 2026 cap space, even as Garrett’s cap number rises to almost $28 million in 2027 and almost $30 million in 2028. Cleveland has been trying to remake and resuscitate its offense after winning only eight games over the past two seasons, and moving Garrett would be one of the clearest signs that the franchise is ready to change direction fast.
Still, the split between the player and the team never fully disappeared. Garrett has been a fixture in Cleveland for years, but his timeline has not always seemed to match the franchise’s, and he has never fully participated in the team’s voluntary offseason program in recent years. Todd Monken’s old line that he was not assured Garrett would be there when he took the job hangs over all of it. The Browns may have found a path out, but the question now is whether they follow through before Garrett is due at mandatory minicamp on June 9 and has a chance to say out loud whether he is really done with Cleveland.
Myles Garrett trade talk lingers as Browns gain June 1 salary-cap option
