Browns General Manager Andrew Berry said early in a Tuesday press conference that discussing a Myles Garrett trade was not something he had on his “bingo card” for the offseason, but that’s where he found himself after Monday’s bombshell move that sent Garrett to the Rams.
Berry said that Garrett’s absence from the team this offseason wasn’t a factor in making the trade now and noted that Garrett had not requested a trade. He said the Browns “weren’t auctioning him off” because there weren’t many places the team could find what they would want back in a deal for the reigning defensive player of the year.
Berry said that the team required premium draft assets and a young elite player back in any deal in order to preserve their short- and long-term goals. The Rams sent their 2027 first-round pick, edge rusher Jared Verse and two other picks to Cleveland in the deal and Berry pointed to the “incredibly important” inclusion of Verse as the thing that really got the ball rolling.
“In terms of the ‘why now,’ the opportunity was too great,” Berry said. “It wasn’t like a Plan A going into the offseason. Quite honestly, we would have operated differently if it was. Sometimes things come across your path that you’re not expecting. You can’t be so dogmatic in your strategy and planning that you can’t adjust and be flexible.”
Berry said he had “no regrets” about not making a deal when Garrett requested a trade after the 2024 season and said he feels all of the team’s goals are still on the table after making a deal that shook up the league.
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