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] is going to say, ‘No,’” Snead said.
That’s because for the trade to be completed, Garrett had to waive his no-trade clause, which was included in the four-year contract extension he signed with the Browns in March 2025. So, after the Rams went back and forth on draft compensation and reluctantly agreed to include up-and-coming star Jared Verse, there was still a chance Garrett could nix the deal.
It’s a rare occurrence in sports when a player who’s under contract and isn’t a free agent has a direct say over their future. Garrett earned that right after nine elite years with Cleveland, earning seven Pro Bowl nods and setting the NFL sack record (23) in 2025 to receive his second Defensive Player of the Year award. He had requested a trade following the 2024 season, before ultimately re-upping with Cleveland, so the interest to be shipped elsewhere was there.
Still, Garrett said, it was a decision he had to sleep on.
Garrett learned of the possibility of the trade “about a week ago,” he said Tuesday, speaking at an introductory press conference alongside Snead and Rams head coach Sean McVay. Garrett’s contract had been restructured to reduce the cap hit in 2029 and 2030, making him an easier asset to move. When the Rams were the expected destination, he grew excited.
“It was a surprise, it was a bit of excitement,” Garrett said. “Being in LA, I have a lot of roots here. And knowing that there’s a winning culture, and great teammates and great coaches here, I was definitely looking forward to the opportunity.”
Garrett had only made the playoffs twice in nine years in Cleveland. Playing with the expectation of a deep postseason run and Super Bowl experience was an opportunity he relished, one he would certainly waive a no-trade clause for.
“To be a winner now, to have an opportunity to do that immediately, that was ultimately too difficult to pass up,” he said. “The opportunity to come here, to have an immediate and profound impact on this team, it was just something I had to move forward with.”
Snead said he felt “confident” on Sunday that the trade would be finalized. After weeks of haggling over picks and players, a sense of “finality” crept in, he said.
“There was a lot of discussions about it,” McVay added. “Until it became a reality, to be able to add players like this, it’s so rare, for opportunities that present themselves. We feel very fortunate. This feels very similar to when we acquired Matthew Stafford. It was a long wait until it was actually official.”
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 just that.
