What a monumental day for the Cleveland Browns.
The Dawg Pound woke up this morning with the best defensive player in the world, but after trading Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in a true blockbuster deal, the Browns now have a mountain of resources on top of great back-to-back draft classes.
Of course, this doesn't soften the blow of losing a superhuman like Garrett, who so often put this struggling franchise on his shoulders and carried the team to victory or kept them in ball games that the Browns had no business being in. He was that transformational for nearly a decade.
But all good things, apparently, must come to an end. Yes, the team's relationship with Garrett had been deteriorating for some time now, but it still seemed like things happened quite fast. Andrew Berry just clarified what went on behind the scenes, though, and it all makes a bit more sense.
Andrew Berry speaks on what led Cleveland Browns to trade Myles Garrett
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer provided fans with a quote from Berry after the trade officially went through on Monday. Our sincerest apologies for the lengthy message, but every Browns fan should read this in order to understand the gravity of the decision and the true reasoning behind it.
"We have long taken the stance that our goal was for Myles Garrett to be a one-helmet player for his entire career. After rewriting the record books and representing our organization with excellence, we were sincere in that desire as we entered this offseason and did not envision a world where Myles was not a Cleveland Brown.
"When the Rams first approached us with the possibility of trading Myles, we remained convicted in our position, but as discussions intensified we were stuck at a legitimate crossroads: do we hold on to a truly generational player who has become the identity of our team, or do we make the difficult decision that we think is best for the organization over the long run?
"In that framework, the decision became clear, although our emotions were muddled. We, and more importantly, our fans, have grown up with Myles, and he's an enormous source of pride for our team. However, as we embark on a new era of Browns football with a young core and a replenished asset base, we felt this move was important to our transition.
"Chief among the considerations to make the decision was the inclusion of Jared Verse--a player our fan base will love. At 25 years old with two Pro Bowls and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award under his belt, we receive a young, elite player at a premium position who will only continue to improve in his third NFL season. Jared's passion and relentless style of play will be embraced by our fans. He will fit right in with the established identity of our defense. We couldn't be more pleased to welcome him to the Dawg Pound!
"We recognize the unexpected nature of this trade, but it opens up great opportunities for our franchise. We are excited to welcome Jared into the organization, along with the cap flexibility and draft pick resources to deploy to the rest of the roster that will allow us to add to our budding core on both sides of the ball."
It sounds like Cleveland had no real desire to ship off its two-time Defensive Player of the Year, even with the rocky start to the Garrett-Monken dynamic after the organization passed on Jim Schwartz for the head coaching gig. But this is the ultimate proof that everyone has a price.
When Rams GM Les Snead and his "(Expletive) them picks" mentality coughed up a great young player and three premier draft picks, the Browns couldn't say no. And having two darts to throw at the board in a loaded 2027 quarterback class is a blessing perhaps best felt down the road.
Jared Verse was also seemingly a big part of this deal. And it is easy to understand why, as the third-year pro already has two Pro Bowls and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award on his résumé and just 10 fewer quarterback pressures than Garrett in the last two years. That's a real stat. And it matters.
Will Verse ever be Garrett, and can Cleveland even recreate Garrett in the aggregate right now? Both of those feel unlikely. But let's face it: Garrett wasn't exactly tipping the scales for the Browns to become a great team. Multiple young players can, however, and that is the gamble being taken.
Berry takes his share of flak from the media and fanbase for the Deshaun Watson debacle and some miscues over the years. And this Garrett trade may age terribly. But it seems like the Browns' braintrust had the right process and were made an offer that they couldn't refuse.
Let's just hope that fans can look back on this statement in a few years and say, "This is when it all changed for the better," and not, "This is exactly what got Berry fired. What was he thinking?"
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