Andrew Berry says the Myles Garrett trade was never on the Browns’ “bingo card” for the offseason, and insists the team wasn’t trying to “auction” him off. After Monday’s blockbuster sent Garrett to the Rams, Berry framed the move as a one-time opportunity—req
On Tuesday, with the shock of Monday’s blockbuster still hanging in the air, Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry walked into his press conference and did not sugarcoat how far this moment was from the team’s plans.
Berry said he was not even entertaining a Myles Garrett trade for the offseason. He put it plainly when asked about it. describing the idea as something he did not have on his “bingo card.” Then came the reality: after Monday’s move sent Garrett to the Rams. Berry found himself explaining why Cleveland chose to make the leap anyway.
The timing, Berry said, was not driven by Garrett’s absence from the team this offseason. He also stressed that Garrett had not requested a trade before this deal. “The Browns weren’t auctioning him off. ” Berry said. pointing to the limited market for what Cleveland would want in return for the reigning defensive player of the year.
To Berry, this wasn’t a scramble for anything. It was a negotiation with non-negotiables. He said the Browns required premium draft assets and a young elite player in any trade so the team could protect both their short- and long-term goals. That is where the framework became specific.
Berry singled out edge rusher Jared Verse as the piece that “really got the ball rolling. ” saying the Rams sent their 2027 first-round pick. Verse. and two other picks to Cleveland in the trade. For Cleveland. Berry called Verse “incredibly important. ” explaining that the deal didn’t just move value—it met the kind of return the Browns insisted on.
Asked about the “why now,” Berry returned to the same theme: flexibility when the right offer appears. “In terms of the ‘why now,’ the opportunity was too great,” Berry said. He added that this was never plan-by-plan certainty. “It wasn’t like a Plan A going into the offseason. Quite honestly, we would have operated differently if it was. Sometimes things come across your path that you’re not expecting. You can’t be so dogmatic in your strategy and planning that you can’t adjust and be flexible.”.
That explanation matters more because Garrett’s situation didn’t start with Monday’s trade. Berry said he has “no regrets” about not making a deal when Garrett requested a trade after the 2024 season. Now. with Garrett in Los Angeles and the trade shaking the league. Berry said he still believes all of the team’s goals are on the table.
The sequence is straightforward: Garrett didn’t request a trade leading into this offseason. Cleveland wasn’t auctioning him. and the Browns only moved when the return matched what Berry called the team’s needs—premium draft capital and a young elite player. Verse. Berry said. is what turned a difficult equation into a deal they could live with. and the timing was dictated by an offer too valuable to pass up.
Myles Garrett Andrew Berry Cleveland Browns Los Angeles Rams Jared Verse NFL trade 2027 first-round pick