The Cleveland Browns’ blockbuster trade sending Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams sparked outrage, and much of the blame circled back to Deshaun Watson.
Garrett is headed to Los Angeles in a deal that brings back Pro Bowl pass-rusher Jared Verse and a first-round pick. The Browns also received a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick.
For many fans, the return did little to soften the reality of losing one of the best players in franchise history. But the anger was not only about Garrett leaving. It was more about how Cleveland got here.
The Browns pushed all their chips in on Watson in 2022, sending significant draft capital to the Houston Texans and handing him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract. The move was supposed to give Cleveland the franchise quarterback needed to maximize a roster that featured Garrett, Nick Chubb, and one of the NFL’s most talented defenses.
Instead, Watson’s tenure has been defined by injuries, inconsistent play, controversy and limited returns. Watson has played in just 19 games since arriving but is still in the mix to start this season — the last year of his contract.
Browns Trade of Myles Garrett Dubbed ‘Embarrassing’
Now, Garrett is gone while Watson remains on the roster, and that contrast has become a flashpoint for an already frustrated fan base.
“The Cleveland Browns squandered: prime Myles Garrett, prime Nick Chubb, prime David Njoku, prime Joel Bitonio, a prime Top-5 defense, plus more, for Deshaun Watson,” one fan said. “Worst of all, the people making these decisions are still in charge, minus DePodesta. I hate it here!”
Another fan put it more bluntly.
“Do you understand how embarrassing it is that Deshaun Watson IS on this team and Myles Garrett IS NOT? I bet the Season Tickets are flying off the shelves today! Embarrassing, unserious, franchise,” the fan said.
Jimmy Watkins of Cleveland.com summed up the weight of the moment for general manager Andrew Berry.
“Andrew Berry just became the man who traded for Deshaun Watson and traded away Myles Garrett (yes, these things are related),” Watkins said. “Quite a weighty reputation to rewrite.”
Myles Garrett Offseason Drama Comes to Close for Browns
Garrett’s future had been a constant topic since the team restructured his contract, a move that made a potential post-June 1 trade easier to stomach from a salary-cap standpoint. His absence from voluntary workouts only added to the speculation, especially with new head coach Todd Monken taking over and trying to establish his program.
Monken had not met with Garrett in person before the trade. He made it clear he was not operating under any guarantee that Garrett would be on his first roster in Cleveland.
“No, I wasn’t assured that when I took the job,” Monken said. “I was never assured of anything when I took the job, other than once I signed my contract, whatever my contract said — that’s what I was assured. No matter what, any of us coaches sign up for is we show up every day and we coach the guys in the building like we’ve done since we’ve been here. That hasn’t changed.
“He’s not [unlike] any other player. I’m never told who’s going to be on the team, who’s not going to be on the team. If that’s a question, I mean, every day we evaluate the roster — Andrew [Berry] evaluates the roster, management evaluates the roster. And, like I said, he’s no different than any other player we’ve got. So, I don’t know how to respond to that, because it’s really no different today than it’s been for the last however many months I’ve been the head coach.”
Garrett now has his fresh start. And Monken can begin building his version of the Browns without the uncertainty that had hovered over his first few months on the job.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Blamed for Myles Garrett Trade