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Most of us expected a major NFL trade on Monday. However, we ended up with two deals that will drastically shake up the 2026 season, and one of the trades is among the biggest in NFL history.
The Los Angeles Rams made a stunning deal to acquire two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns, giving up Pro Bowl edge Jared Verse and three picks (including a 2027 first-rounder) in the process. Hours later, the New England Patriots finally landed three-time All-Pro receiver AJ Brown after months of rumors, trading a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now the debate is over who won those franchise-changing moves. Did the Rams give up too much for Garrett? Were the Patriots smart to give up a first-round pick for Brown?
We asked several executives and scouts around the league these questions after Monday’s trades. From praising the Rams to questioning the Browns, here’s what they told us:
Execs agree: Garrett is worth a high price
A longtime scout believes Myles Garrett will be a “good fit” with the Rams and could “raise his game even more” even after setting the NFL’s single-season sack record in 2025. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Eric D. Williams: The Rams moved on from a talented and productive young player in Jared Verse, along with giving up significant draft capital to acquire the best defensive player in the NFL, pass rusher Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns.
But in return, according to sources I spoke with, the Rams improved their chances of winning a Super Bowl this season — and beyond.
“It’s probably a win-win, with more risk for the Rams,” a league source told me of the deal. “It’s hard to argue with that for the Browns, given how much they got. As great as Garrett is, he’s going into his 10th season.
“But if the Rams win a Super Bowl with him and he helps, that’s great for them no matter what else happens. That’s how you really judge it for them. They’d love to win it this year, but if they win it anytime [Garrett] is in the team and he is a key factor, it is a good trade. It doesn’t have to be the 2026 season. It would be unlikely to be later than 2028, but not impossible.”
Garrett, 30, is the first reigning Defensive Player of the Year to be traded in NFL history. And the move comes a year after he set the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23 sacks in 2025.
So it’s no surprise that a longtime scout who evaluated Garrett at Texas A&M in 2017 believes the star edge rusher brings another dimension to Los Angeles’ defense.
“A really good team just got a lot better,” the scout told me. “I remember evaluating him coming out and I thought he was generational. It used to be that generational players stayed with one team for their career, but that’s not the case now.
“I think he’ll fit in well with the Rams and give them something they don’t have. He’s got a lot of gas left in the tank. … Sometimes a player that good will step up his game even more in a new environment.”
Getting rid of a two-time Pro Bowler in Vers isn’t easy, as the 2024 first-round pick ranked sixth in total pressure last season, according to Pro Football Focus. But giving up the 25-year-old standout — plus a first-round pick in 2027, a second-round pick in 2028 and a third-round pick in 2029 — was worth it for Garrett, according to one front office executive I spoke with.
“Trading the best defenseman in the league doesn’t come cheap,” the executive told me. “It’s the cost of doing business.”
As for the Browns, the front office boss said the acquisition of Verse and the draft assets will help continue the team’s rebuilding process under new head coach Todd Monken.
“He’s a big, fast, productive pass rusher who can also play the run,” the boss said of Verse. “At 25, he’s durable and on a rookie contract. That sounds good to me.”
The Garrett deal came a year late
Did Browns general manager Andrew Berry wait too long to trade Myles Garrett? An NFL executive thinks so, telling us, “It’s the Browns.” (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Ralph Vacchiano: Garrett wanted out of Cleveland a year ago, but the Browns had other plans. They wanted to make him the face of their franchise as they began to rebuild from scratch, giving him a record extension at the time.
So on Monday they decided to start over.
“It’s the Browns,” an NFL executive told me. “They had a plan. They gave it a whole year. Now they’re starting over. That’s what they’re doing.”
That’s certainly how it looked when they traded Garrett just one year after giving him a four-year, $160 million contract with a full no-trade clause, which is rare. The Browns resisted all efforts to trade him, even after he requested a trade last offseason. And they got a historic season out of him.
Of course he did it on a 5-12 team.
“I don’t know what they got out of keeping him,” the director told me. “They knew they didn’t have a quarterback. They knew they probably weren’t going to be good until late in his deal. He’s a great player, don’t get me wrong, but they needed the assets more.
“I don’t know if they could have gotten a better deal last year or even the same deal, but they would have been a year ahead [in their rebuilding]. You can’t run a franchise by starting over every year.”
Patriots finally get their man: AJ Brown
A league source was surprised that AJ Brown picked up a first-round pick, but believes the star receiver will “be fine” in New England. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Williams: In one of the worst-kept secrets this offseason, the Eagles finally traded mercurial wide receiver AJ Brown. In a transaction that was for months set to take place on June 1 due to salary cap ramifications for the Eagles, the Patriots gave up a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick for Brown’s services.
One source I spoke with thought it was a head-scratcher that the Eagles secured a first-round pick, even though it was a given that Philadelphia traded Brown to New England. Brown played for Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel when they were both at Tennessee.
“I’m somewhat surprised the Eagles were able to get a first-round pick as part of the deal, albeit a first in two years,” the league source told me. “It was clear that Philadelphia wanted to move on, and yet they were able to convince New England to give one up.”
However, the league source acknowledged that the Rams being close to making a trade for Brown (which would have potentially included wide receiver Davante Adams) could have driven up the price for New England. Now that Brown, known for his prickly personality, is a Patriot, how he fits with third-year quarterback Drake Maye and is used by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will be the next thing to watch in New England.
“I think he’ll be fine in the locker room,” the league source told me. “He couldn’t be more challenging than Stefon Diggs in that locker room.”
‘Brown Looked Miserable’ in Philly
An assistant general manager believes AJ Brown is a “classic change of scenery” and believes his numbers will increase after a 1,003-yard season in 2025. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Vacchiano: A first-round pick in any draft is a high price to pay for a wide receiver approaching 30 years old who hasn’t lived up to his potential the last two seasons. But the Patriots expect AJ Brown to improve simply by getting him out of Philadelphia.
“He’s the classic shifty guy,” an NFL assistant general manager told me. “He obviously wasn’t happy in Philly. He’s going to get better just by putting on different colors.”
That’s what the Patriots are counting on after trading a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder for the soon-to-be 29-year-old. His numbers were down the past two seasons, but he still averaged 73 catches, 1,041 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing seven games. After recording 1,003 yards in 2025, Brown has logged at least 1,000 yards in six of his first seasons in the league.
The injuries that bothered him were nowhere near the problem that his attitude and demeanor had become, at least to those who saw him from the outside. And in New England, that is expected to change.
“AJ Brown looked miserable over the last two years and the Eagles’ passing game was always off,” one scout told me. “But look at the numbers he still put up. And he did that split attention with DeVonta Smith. That shows you how talented this guy is.
“Yes, you have to make him the focus of your offense. Yes, you have to work to keep him happy. But the Patriots will happily do all that. He’s the best receiver they’ve had in years.”
