Browns' owner Jimmy Haslam addresses Myles Garrett trade

The Cleveland Browns and general manager Andrew Berry did the unthinkable this offseason by trading beloved defensive star Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams .

As the cornerstone of the franchise for nearly a decade, the fanbase was disappointed to see Garrett depart from the organization. However, the trade marks a new era of football in the city of Cleveland, with the hope that the young nucleus on the roster projects better days in the future.

When asked about the massive trade that sent Garrett to Los Angeles, Browns ' owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters on Saturday that ownership gave Berry the blessing to complete the deal.

"With a decision like that [to trade Garrett], ownership is going to be involved, but that was Andrew's decision," Haslam stated. "That was something that, in conversations we had for awhile. In this case, ownership blessed it. I think we got a really good player back. And then we picked up a 1, 2 and 3."

The future implications of trading Garrett

Garrett, after being selected with the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, has lived up to the high expectations.

Throughout his nine seasons with the organization, the star pass rusher has established himself as a sure-fire future Hall of Famer, recording 125.5 sacks and two AP Defensive Player of the Year awards. In addition to his impressive career with the Browns, Garrett also managed to break the single-season sack record in 2025 with 23 total sacks.

While the 30-year-old star has had an immense impact on the struggling franchise, it was clear that the Browns' playoff window did not align with Garrett's timeline. Cleveland's debacle of the Deshaun Watson trade set the organization back numerous seasons, so the decision to move on from Garrett seemed imminent this offseason.

Luckily for the Browns, the blockbuster trade gives Berry and the front office plenty of assets to build on in the foreseeable future.

The deal for Garrett was centered around rising star Jared Verse - a 26-year-old pass rusher who was the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year back in 2024. Verse may not be the same caliber of player as Garrett, but his ability to consistently apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks will create more opportunities for the rest of the Browns' front four.

Cleveland also received a plethora of picks from the Rams , which could be used to help the organization land its franchise quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns' owner Jimmy Haslam addresses Myles Garrett trade

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