Where The Story Turns
The Cleveland Browns pulled off one of the most surprising moves of the offseason, trading Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday. The star defensive end was coming off a 2025 season where he set an NFL record with 23 sacks.
In return, the Browns received pass-rusher Jared Verse along with three draft picks: a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 conditional third-round pick.
The numbers are doing most of the announcement work here, which is usually how teams prefer it.
The Stakes In Plain Sight
That conditional pick is where things get interesting. The Browns inserted a unique clause to prevent Garrett from winding up back in the AFC North: if the Rams trade Garrett to Pittsburgh, Baltimore, or Cincinnati before the 2029 NFL Draft, Los Angeles must surrender a 2029 first-round pick instead of the third-rounder.
It's the same kind of condition the Dallas Cowboys used when sending Micah Parsons to Green Bay — a safeguard against a star player ending up in a division rivalry. The Browns were clearly paying attention when the Rams, back in 2019, sent two first-round picks to Jacksonville for Jalen Ramsey, only to flip him to Miami a few years later.
The Question Left Open
Garrett is 30 years old and under contract through 2030, so he'll likely be in Los Angeles for the long haul. But if the Rams ever change their mind, they won't be able to send him to an AFC North team without compensating the Browns with a first-round pick.