The Cleveland Browns ultimately sent Myles Garrett to Southern California in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams, but his departure from Northeast Ohio came close to playing out a different way.
Tom Pelissero of The Ringer reported via his Substack on Wednesday, September 9 that the Buffalo Bills had interest in Garrett stretching back years and contacted Browns GM Andrew Berry on the day of the Garrett deal.
“But sources say another team called Cleveland on the day the trade leaked: the Bills, who had checked in periodically on Garrett’s availability for the better part of two years,” Pelissero wrote.
Jared Verse Was Key to Browns-Rams Trade Involving Myles Garrett
The Browns got Jared Verse back from L.A., along with three draft picks: a first-rounder in the loaded 2027 NFL draft class, a second-round selection in 2028 and a third-round pick in 2029.
Pelissero added that Buffalo was unable to match the Rams’ offer for one simple reason — they didn’t have a player like Verse to send back to Cleveland.
“Chief among the considerations to make the decision was the inclusion of Jared Verse,” Berry said June 1. “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.”
Earlier in the offseason, the Browns submitted a rule change proposal allowing teams to part with draft picks as far as five years down the road. The NFL rejected that idea, though it is worth wondering if the Bills might not have altered the course of history by making a godfather offer of draft assets to Cleveland for Garrett had the rule change gained traction.
Myles Garrett, Dealing With Knee Issues, Predicted to Win NFL MVP
Verse is a two-time Pro Bowler in just two years in the league and also won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2024.
While he’s not at Garrett’s level, Verse makes far more sense for the Browns’ contention timeline at the age of 25 (he turns 26 in November). Meanwhile, Garrett is 30 years old with a birthday coming in late December.
Garrett has also missed a considerable portion of the Rams’ offseason work this summer with a knee issue that frequent swelling has complicated. That said, Los Angeles confirmed Garrett will play in the team’s season opener on Thursday night, September 10 against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.
And after Garrett set the regular-season record with 23 sacks in 2025 on the way to capturing his second Defensive Player of the Year award, John Pluym of Sports Illustrated predicted on Wednesday that the defensive end will capture Most Valuable Player honors in 2026.
“Myles Garrett will win MVP. There have been only two defensive MVPs in NFL history: Alan Page on the 1971 Vikings and Lawrence Taylor on the 1986 Giants,” Pluym wrote. “Was there a bigger story this offseason than the Browns trading Garrett to the Rams? No. Garrett is the best player in the league and will finally have the opportunity to play on a winner after several frustrating years in Cleveland. … I’m going to predict 25-plus sacks for him this season and a Super Bowl ring.”
Browns Almost Traded Myles Garrett to AFC Powerhouse Over Rams: Report