Superstar EDGE Myles Garrett will be changing teams moving from the Browns to the Rams as part of a blockbuster trade. The Browns will receive a future 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick along with Jared Verse. This trade possibility was foreshadowed months ago when Garrett agreed to delay a $29.2 million option bonus from March to September with basically no financial incentive for doing so.
The movement of the option is what made this trade possible for the Browns, as we discussed back in March. Unless the Browns renounce the option prior to the trade they will carry a cap charge this year of $21.374 million for Garrett, a savings of $2.5 million. However, the effective charge is just $15.534 million since the Browns will receive a $5.84 million credit on their 2027 cap for the option bonus that was not paid. The dead money in 2027 will be $25.556 million, putting the Browns number already at $51.464 million for next year. Verse will only cost the team $2.17 million this year and $2.85 million next year, assuming he remains with the team.
To me this is a no brainer of a trade. The Browns roster at this point is a collection of a patchwork of some bad contracts surrounding a bad QB situation and were not going to go anywhere with Garrett in the team. Three picks is valuable as is a young star like Verse who is extension eligible after the season. He would also fetch the team something of value in a trade if they decided to flip him. At this stage the Browns only paid Garrett $5 million of his new contract which they signed to placate him last year, so the timing was also perfect.
The Rams will take on a cap charge this year of $9.14 million if they execute the option, which would be likely (they can also just take the entire hit this year instead if they want). My assumption is they will receive a $1 million credit for a workout bonus that likely was unearned. They will add on $31.5 million in cash for the year for Garrett while losing $2.17 million for Verse.
Garrett’s contract is pretty much designed to ensure that he is a member of the roster thru the 2028 season, which is the final year of the contract with any meaningful guarantee. Assuming the Rams keep the contract intact that will result in cap charges of $16.056million in 2027 and $21.383 million in 2028. Their cash commitment over that time is $99 million, or $33 million a year, which is pretty reasonable for a high level EDGE.
In 2029 the Rams will face a decision to take on $52.4 million in dead money or keep Garrett at a near $42 million cap charge and add to later bills. A post June 1 release would allow them to split that at about $18 million in 2029 and $34 million in 2030.
I think this is also a good trade for the Rams. While the cost in draft capital is high, they are receiving the defensive player of the year at a very low cost. While losing Verse hurts they also relieve themselves of the cost of an extension which probably makes this a net positive for their cash budget over the next three to four years even though Garrett’s paper APY is $40 million a season. This maximizes the Rams chances to win this year and they should always be able to trade Garrett in the future if things did not work out as planned or if Matthew Stafford retires in the near future. The Rams hold the same trade windows the Browns did, meaning they have until late August every year to finalize any trade.