Browns Legend Believes Cleveland Is In 'Much Better Position' After Myles Garrett Trade
The Cleveland Browns made the big move of the offseason by trading future Hall of Famer Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams.
Garrett requested a trade last offseason, but he ended up signing a four-year, $160 million contract with $123.5 million guaranteed. It was a massive deal, and just a year after the extension, Cleveland dealt Garrett to the Rams for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick.
It was a massive trade as the Browns were able to land a young star pass rusher in Verse and three high draft picks. Although dealing a future Hall of Famer is tough, Browns legend Joe Thomas believes Cleveland made the right choice by trading him.
"When you look at the Myles trade, to be able to get a great young player like Jared Verse, who's a tremendous pass rusher, who is a great asset to that team – he's on a friendly contract, saving money there," Thomas said on Sirius XM on June 21. "Getting three draft choices for Myles – first, second and a third – it puts us in a much better position for the next two, three, four years as we're in this building phase.
"So, as you step away from the emotion of losing Myles, you realize this puts the team in a much better situation moving forward. And it was the right decision even though it hurts."
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Garrett had been the lone bright spot for the Browns for years, but Thomas believes that shouldn't be the case, as the goal should be winning, and he thinks the trade and return can help them win in the future.
"I'm not willing to accept the fact that we're only allowed to think that our ceiling as Browns fans is to cheer for a player that is having a good season or breaking a record," Thomas said. "I don't want to lose sight of the fact that we're still here to try to win championships."
Whether or not winning will happen in 2026 for the Browns seems unlikely, but the future could be much brighter with the draft picks Cleveland acquired for Garrett.
Browns GM Explains Decision To Trade Garrett
The Browns opted to trade Garrett just a year into his lucrative extension, which was a bit of a surprise.
Cleveland's general manager, Andrew Berry, said the decision to trade Garrett wasn't easy, but when Verse was added, they felt the value was too high to pass up.
"I didn't expect to be up here talking about a Myles Garrett trade," Berry said during a news conference on June 2. "This is not my favorite thing to do because, like I said, I didn't have it on the bingo card and I realize how strong I've been with Myles. But the reality is when you have an opportunity to do something that has strong both short- and long-term benefits, we have to be flexible with it. We're real excited from a team perspective."
Ultimately, the Browns believe Verse will make their defense younger, which is good for the long haul, and Thomas believes Cleveland can build a true contender in the very near future.
Related: Rams, Browns Garrett Trade a Win-Win Deal
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 10:07 AM.