The Cleveland Browns lost the Defensive Player of the Year when they traded Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, while the superstar pass-rusher said goodbye to some serious money in the process.
Los Angeles didn’t cut his salary, but the state of California will take several monster bites out of his annual income over the next five years via its double-digit state tax structure.
“The Browns owed Garrett $179 million from 2026 through 2030. The Rams owe Garrett $179 million from 2026 through 2030,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote on Sunday, June 7. “Given the significant differences in state income tax rates between Ohio and California — 3.125 percent versus 13.3 percent — Garrett will lose 10 percent of his gross pay that, in Cleveland, he would have kept.”
The Rams agreed to increase Garrett’s salary next season by $6.5 million total, up to $37 million from the $30.5 million he would have made in Cleveland. However, Florio reiterated that the tax transition still ends up with Garrett a significant financial loser in the transaction, which begs the interesting an unanswered question of why he did not negotiate a bigger raise across multiple years with L.A.?
“The Rams got a gift on this one, because Garrett could have made a very fair and reasonable request to have his pay increased to offset the elevated tax burden. And it’s no small issue; the difference is in the millions,” Florio continued. “It would have been more than reasonable for Garrett to ask for a pay increase in connection with his trade, especially since he has a no-trade clause.”
Myles Garrett on Pace to Earn Well Over $300 Million in NFL Career
GettyDefensive end Myles Garrett of the Los Angeles Rams.
None of this is to say that Garrett will be in need of monetary assistance any time soon.
He has earned nearly $150.6 million across his nine-year NFL career to date. And if Garrett plays out the remaining five years on his contract in Los Angeles exactly as it is structured now, he will have earned north of $328.5 million by the time the 2030 campaign ends, when the defensive end will be just 35 years old.
Garrett won his second DPOY award in 2025, this time unanimously, after leading the league in tackles for loss (33) and setting a single-season record with 23 sacks, pushing his celebrity to an all-time high.
The move to L.A. and Garrett’s association with the Rams could potentially bolster his off-field earnings by way of endorsement deals, though he would have to ink multiple lucrative agreements to recoup everything he will ultimately lose due to the higher state tax rate.
Browns Got Talented, Less Expensive Return for Myles Garrett in Form of Jared Verse, 3 Draft Picks
GettyEdge defender Jared Verse of the Cleveland Browns.
While perhaps nothing can erase the sting some Browns fans feel after losing Garrett to a Super Bowl contender in his prime, Cleveland did get a solid return, including a considerably younger and cheaper pass-rusher in Jared Verse who is also a borderline top-10 talent at the position just two years into his career.
Verse is 25 years old and finished ranked 11th out of 115 edge defenders who saw enough snaps to qualify in 2025, according to advanced metrics from Pro Football Focus. Garrett, of course, was ranked first.
And while Verse (11 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks) can’t boast the traditional statistical output that Garrett can from last season, he was nearly as effective of an edge-rusher as Garrett, if not more so, in multiple meaningful ways.
Verse ended the year with 80 total pressures (ranked 6th in the league), 52 quarterback hurries (ranked 6th) and 20 total hits (ranked 2nd), per PFF. Garrett tallied 84 pressures, 45 QB hurries and 14 total hits.
Cleveland now has Verse for two more years on his $15 million rookie deal, plus a fifth-year team option in 2028, should the Browns choose to exercise it. League rules cost-control that one-year option, which will keep Verse under contract for far less than top market value.
Not to mention, the Browns also got a first-round pick (2027), second-round selection (2028) and third-rounder (2029) along with Verse in the Garrett trade.
Myles Garrett Takes Major Loss After Departing Browns for Rams