BEREA, Ohio — One day after the Cleveland Browns made a blockbuster deal to trade superstar defensive end Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, the move still seems as shocking as it did when the news broke. For Browns general manager Andrew Berry, the man who made the deal, it is also still a little hard to believe.
Berry held a press conference on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after dealing Garrett to the Rams, and he began by addressing that shock factor.
"I’ll be honest, I did not have this press conference on my bingo card for this spring. I know you all have heard me say for a number of years at this point that Myles Garrett, he’s a foundational player, Hall of Fame-worthy, and a homegrown talent that’s been here for the decades," Berry said. "Our intent was to have him be a one-helmet player for his career. And that was the truth. And even to this day, when Myles’ career is over, we look forward to welcoming him back into the organization.
"But there are moments, particularly in my job, where opportunities come up that quite honestly are unexpected and they force you to stop and re-evaluate and look at it and say, ‘Hey, is this something that could be really beneficial to the team?’ And that was the case in this instance, where it got to a certain point where we looked at what the trade details were and we asked ourselves, ‘OK, do we hold here regardless because of how emotionally right it felt, or do we ultimately make a decision that we think has a huge benefit to the team in both the short and long term?’"
The Browns said goodbye to one of the best players to ever wear the orange and brown uniform and a true face of the franchise. In return, they received a young Pro Bowl edge rusher in Jared Verse along with draft picks over the next three seasons.
So, with the deal done and a new era in Cleveland sans Myles Garrett, what did Berry have to say?
Why they made the deal
Berry remained adamant that he did not intend to trade Garrett, last year or into this offseason.
"It wasn't like a Plan A going into the offseason. Quite honestly, we would have operated differently if it was, but sometimes things come across your path that you're not expecting, and you can't be so dogmatic in your strategy and planning that you can't adjust and be flexible to great opportunities," Berry said. "Myles wasn't on the trading block. We weren't auctioning him off. This is not something that was a primary consideration over the spring."
Last season, amid Garrett's request for a trade that ultimately resulted in the two-time defensive player of the year signing a contract extension with Cleveland, teams had inquired to see if Garrett would be made available for trade. Berry had one word for them all: "No."
There had always been three criteria, Berry said, that would have to be met for him ever to consider trading Garrett.
"No. 1, it would have to have short-and long-term benefits. No. 2, as part of the trade, a young, cost-controlled star at a premium position would have to be included. And the third piece is that there would have to be premium draft capital. And there’s a very small set of deals that really satisfy those constraints. So, when it got to the point with our negotiations with the Rams, when all those things were satisfied, it really caused us to take a step back and really think about the decision," Berry said.
The Rams had offered draft picks, but that wasn't enough. Sure, it satisfied points one and three, but it wasn't until they added 25-year-old Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse to the deal that Berry said he began to listen.
"We were very pleased with the return we got. I think for us, getting a player of Jared's caliber, plus the pick considerations, was excellent. It's something that we certainly didn't expect coming into the spring," Berry said.
Myles did not request another trade
It was a shocking moment back in February of 2025 when Garrett publicly requested a trade out of Cleveland. In his statement, Garrett showed nothing but love for the city, but expressed his desire to compete for a Super Bowl, something that was not within the realm of possibility for a struggling Browns team.
A short time later, however, Garrett signed a four-year contract extension that included a no-trade clause.
It kept him in Cleveland, but it never changed his goals.
It could be assumed that Garrett made another trade request that prompted this move, but Berry said that wasn't the case.
"There was no trade request or anything like that. Obviously, you talked through it a little bit earlier because he did have the no-trade clause and obviously he was pleased with L.A., but that wasn't the primary consideration," Berry said.
With Garrett having to waive the no-trade clause, as Berry said, there was communication leading up to the move.
In fact, the deal had been in the works for about a week before it was agreed upon.
"Myles was a good communicator throughout the spring. We obviously talked through the coaching search, free agency, before the draft. He was good in terms of sharing his travel plans in the offseason, things like that. So that was all very, very normal, as he's been accustomed to later in his career. We did not blindside Myles with the news yesterday. Obviously, he was a well-tenured member of the organization, someone that we expect to retire a Brown. He was made aware about a week ago that it was a possibility, and that's a courtesy that obviously we owe him. So, the communication was good with him," Berry said.
Browns don't feel like they're in rebuild mode
When a team trades the face of the franchise, the immediate thought externally is "tanking" or "rebuild mode." And while obviously the Browns are positioning themselves for their future with a core of young players and upcoming draft picks, Berry won't call it a rebuild.
There's confidence internally in the Browns' ability to be competitive now as well as in the near future.
"All of our goals are still in front of us. We have an excellent defense with really good players and on all three levels and Jared, he's an outstanding player. He's one of the best players in the league and so we're excited to have him as a part of our team," Berry said.
Berry high on Verse
Jared Verse was the tipping factor of the deal to trade Garrett to the Rams. Berry said that he expects Verse, who was the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler in 2024 and 2025, to create an immediate impact on the defense.
"Jared is an outstanding football player, former Defensive Rookie of the Year, two-time original-ballot Pro Bowler. He’s a perfect DNA match for our attacking front. He’s really a terror in both phases, both as a run defender and a pass rusher. And we are really, really excited to add him to our team. He allows us to continue to play defense at a high level, which has been our standard over the past several seasons, and we’re really excited to welcome him into the organization," Berry said.
The Browns' new pass rusher is expected to arrive in Northeast Ohio on Tuesday evening and make his debut for his new team on Wednesday during the team's eighth OTA session. Verse is also expected to speak to the media following the practice session.
"He was very excited yesterday when we talked to him on the phone. He's ready to go. I think he's really excited to play in this scheme. I think maybe some of you already know he's from Dayton, Ohio. His sister's still here and everything like that. He's going to be fun. He's a ton of energy now. There'll be some colorful quotes for everybody in this room," Berry said.
New era of Browns football is here
In trading Garrett to the Rams, the Browns said goodbye to not only their best player on the field, but a staple in the community and fan base.
Becoming the face of a franchise isn't easy for players, and ingraining themselves in the culture of their team's city can be even harder. Garrett, who has for years held back-to-school drives, youth camps, and other community events to give back to Northeast Ohio, won't be replaced easily, if ever at all.
Berry knows that, but he believes that the roster currently has players that the fan base can get behind and love just as much as they grew to love Garrett over the years.
"I think one of the toughest things in professional sports is when players, who everyone knows their name locally, leave and new ones that they don't know the names of take their roles. I think probably could have asked me the same question with Nick Chubb last year, and we saw Quinshon [Judkins] come in and make himself a household name in Northeast Ohio, or David Njoku this year and we have Harold Fannin," Berry said. "Professional sports can be cyclical at times, and that's always tough in these moments. But we are really excited about a number of the players that we have in the locker room that I think our fans will either continue to get more familiarity with or gain familiarity with over the upcoming season."
There's no question the organization will not be the same without Garrett, but with Verse headed to town, we'll see what this new era of Cleveland Browns football looks like moving forward without No. 95.
