While the trade of Myles Garrett came as a bit of a shock to Browns fans, the team may have been dropping clues for the entire offseason, and certainly as Monday's blockbuster was close to complete.
"The day they hired (new head coach) Todd Monken, (general manager) Andrew Berry, not even asked about it, just mentioned 'Oh, we're planning to have the youngest roster in the NFL this year,'" said Ideastream Public Media sports commentator Terry Pluto. "I'm like, 'Really?'. So I'm (thinking), 'How are you going to do that?'"
Garrett made a very public trade request after the 2024 season that included extensive interviews at the Super Bowl about his discontent with the franchise.
"I'm sure last year when they were saying they weren't going to trade him, they were listening to see what they were being offered and they probably thought, 'You know, we better make a move now,'" Pluto said.
It's the nature of the NFL and pro sports in general: He's your guy until he's not, Pluto said.
But according to Pluto, the Browns did well to get Jared Verse, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and 2024 defensive rookie of the year. The Browns now have the last two defensive rookies of the year, with linebacker Carson Schwesinger earning the award last season.
Still, trading Garrett, a future Hall of Famer in the prime of his career, is a gut punch to some fans. But Pluto said the move has the potential to work well.
"The Guardians like to do stuff like this," Pluto said. "Get a guy, high-priced, in his prime, so you try to get a really interesting young player who's got some experience...it's the same thought process."
In addition to Verse, the Browns continue to rebuild and replenish draft assets after the Deshaun Watson trade in 2022, which has been an albatross for the franchise. The Los Angeles Rams sent a first round pick in 2027 to Cleveland, along with a second round pick in 2028 and a third round pick in 2029.
Garrett's history in Cleveland includes incredible accolades on the field, but also a lengthy suspension for hitting Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph with his own helmet in 2019. Garrett accumulated nine speeding tickets or citations in Northeast Ohio, including a rollover crash that forced him to miss a game in 2022.
Fans have questioned his leadership for skipping offseason workouts and wounds were still evident from the media tour at last year's Super Bowl.
Still, it's clear that Garrett may not only be a Hall of Famer, but one of the best players in franchise history, Pluto said.
"Other than Joe Thomas, there are no other Hall of Fame caliber players that have come in here since the team came back in 1999," Pluto said. "I don't see anybody on the roster now that falls into that category. Some people think maybe Joel Bitonio would make it.
"Thomas retired as a Brown. In fact, Joe Thomas turned down a chance to be traded to Denver later in his career because he wanted to stay here and finish here," Pluto said. "But people are wired differently."
