Les Snead was worried.
The Los Angeles Rams general manager had been in discussions with Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry for over a month, hoping to land star defensive end Myles Garrett in a trade, Snead revealed to reporters on Tuesday. During that process, the concern occurred to Snead:
“Are we going to have gone through all this and then [Myles] goes to say, ‘No,’” Snead mentioned.
That is as a result of for the commerce to be accomplished, Garrett needed to waive his no-trade clause, which was included within the four-year contract extension he signed with the Browns in March 2025. So, after the Rams went forwards and backwards on draft compensation and reluctantly agreed to incorporate up-and-coming star Jared Verse, there was nonetheless an opportunity Garrett might nix the deal.
It is a uncommon prevalence in sports activities when a participant who’s beneath contract and is not a free agent has a direct say over their future. Garrett earned that proper after 9 elite years with Cleveland, incomes seven Professional Bowl nods and setting the NFL sack document (23) in 2025 to obtain his second Defensive Participant of the 12 months award. He had requested a commerce following the 2024 season, earlier than finally re-upping with Cleveland, so the curiosity to be shipped elsewhere was there.
Nonetheless, Garrett mentioned, it was a choice he needed to sleep on.
Garrett discovered of the opportunity of the commerce “a couple of week in the past,” he mentioned Tuesday, talking at an introductory press convention alongside Snead and Rams head coach Sean McVay. Garrett’s contract had been restructured to cut back the cap hit in 2029 and 2030, making him a better asset to maneuver. When the Rams had been the anticipated vacation spot, he grew excited.
“It was a shock, it was a bit of pleasure,” Garrett mentioned. “Being in LA, I’ve a whole lot of roots right here. And realizing that there’s a successful tradition, and nice teammates and nice coaches right here, I used to be positively trying ahead to the chance.”
Garrett had solely made the playoffs twice in 9 years in Cleveland. Enjoying with the expectation of a deep postseason run and Tremendous Bowl expertise was a chance he relished, one he would definitely waive a no-trade clause for.
“To be a winner now, to have a chance to do this instantly, that was finally too troublesome to move up,” he mentioned. “The chance to come back right here, to have an instantaneous and profound affect on this group, it was simply one thing I needed to transfer ahead with.”
Snead mentioned he felt “assured” on Sunday that the commerce could be finalized. After weeks of haggling over picks and gamers, a way of “finality” crept in, he mentioned.
“There was a whole lot of discussions about it,” McVay added. “Till it grew to become a actuality, to have the ability to add gamers like this, it’s so uncommon, for alternatives that current themselves. We really feel very lucky. This feels similar to once we acquired Matthew Stafford. It was an extended wait till it was truly official.”
A part of that wait included Garrett waiving his no-trade clause, and agreeing to be traded to Los Angeles himself. After deliberation and self-reflection, he did simply that.
