The Cleveland Browns trade of DE Myles Garrett will be discussed for years and maybe decades to come. That will be true for the Browns, but, depending on how things go on the field, it could also be true for the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL as a whole.
As of now, Cleveland received DE Jared Verse along with draft picks in the first, second, and third rounds, each pick in separate seasons. Adding Verse, instead of more draft compensation, makes evaluating the trade value more difficult, but it is clear
that Verse was the key to the whole deal.
Now, an interesting nugget of information has been added to the Garrett trade that could change things significantly. With what has been described to me as a worry that the Baltimore Ravens might trade for Garrett in the future, possibly after Matthew Stafford retires in LA, Browns GM Andrew Berry had a clause added to the trade that would change the 2029 draft pick if the Rams deal Garrett to an AFC North team:
That conditional pick could add a lot of nuance to what Los Angeles might do in the future, given their aggressive tendencies, if the team’s timeline changes. Trading Garrett before the 2029 NFL draft, when the star defensive end would be over 33 years old, would no longer be just about the return they would get in the trade. Instead, LA would have to calculate the difference between giving up their third-round pick versus their first in 2029 while contemplating any trade with Garrett going to an AFC North team.
The condition on the pick likely limits the Rams ability to trade their first-round pick in 2029 until after the condition has elapsed. We’ve seen similar clauses in the Brett Favre and Micah Parsons trades in the past.
Perhaps this clause is the reason Berry wanted to spread out the deal over three years, instead of getting more draft capital sooner. Not only does Cleveland not want to face Garrett twice a year, but if they have to, they want a much better asset added on to the end of the trade.
As of now, Garrett’s contract is set to expire after the 2030 season, when the reigning Defensive Player of the Year will be 35 years old.
What do you think about this clause, and how does it impact how you see the Garrett trade?
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