The Cleveland Browns head into summer vacation with a new identity and a clear path forward. That path is longer now, with DE Myles Garrett traded to the Los Angeles Rams. However, unlike the past, where the team has torn down to the studs, the Browns seem committed to keeping CB Denzel Ward and brought in DE Jared Verse as the key part of the Garrett trade.
Whether Cleveland got enough in return for Garrett will likely be debated for years, especially with the large amount of dead cap space that
he is taking up in 2026, along with retired OL Joel Bitonio.
While Garrett has dead cap money this year, the Browns saved money overall while adding Verse’s two very cheap cap hits the next two seasons:
- 2026: $2.17 million
- 2027: $2.858 million
For the 2028 season, Verse will have a fifth-year option that is estimated to be around $30 million.
In cash, Verse is owed just over $5 million for the next two seasons, including a $1 million roster bonus on July 1st, then whatever the fifth-year option number is for the 2028 season.
By comparison, Garrett has around $52 million in cap hits during those three seasons, with another $128 million in salary cap hits over the next three years, 2029-2031.
Verse is likely to be under a new big contract during those last three years of Garrett’s deal, but Cleveland is not eligible to sign him to an extension until after the 2026 season ends and the next league year opens. That limitation is not due to the trade but to the NFL’s CBA rule about players not being eligible for rookie contract extensions until after they’ve completed their third year in the league.
