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Most of us were expecting a major NFL trade on Monday. However, we ended up with two deals that will dramatically change the 2026 season, and one of the trades is among the largest in NFL history.
The Los Angeles Rams made a surprising 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 revolves around who won those franchise-altering 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 those questions to several league executives and scouts after Monday’s trades. From praising the Rams to questioning the Browns, here’s what they told us:
Executives agree: Garrett is worth a high price
A veteran scout believes Myles Garrett will be a “good fit” for the Rams and could “improve his game even more” even after setting the NFL 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 and gave up significant draft capital to acquire the NFL’s best defensive player, 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 situation, 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 good as Garrett is, he’s entering his 10th season.
“But if the Rams win a Super Bowl with him and he helps, then it will be great for them, no matter what. That’s how you really judge it for them. They would love to win it this year, but if they win it at any time, [Garrett] He is in the team and is a key factor, it is a good exchange. “It doesn’t have to be the 2026 season. It would be unlikely to be after 2028, but not impossible.”
Garrett, 30, is the first 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, recording 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 running back brings a different dimension to the Los Angeles defense.
“A really good team just got a lot better,” the scout told me. “I remember evaluating him when he came out and thinking it was generational. It used to be that generational players stayed with one team throughout their career, but that’s not the case now.
“I think he’ll be a good fit for the Rams and give them something they don’t have. He’s got a lot of gas left in the tank…Sometimes a good player like that will improve his game even more in a new environment.”
Parting ways with a two-time Pro Bowler in Verse isn’t easy, as the 2024 first-round pick ranked sixth in total pressures last season, according to Pro Football Focus. But giving up the 25-year-old standout — plus a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick — was worth it for Garrett, according to a front-office executive I spoke with.
“Trading for the best defensive player in the league is not cheap,” the executive told me. “It’s the cost of doing business.”
As for the Browns, the front office executive said receiving Verse and 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 on the ground,” the executive said of Verse. “At 25 years old, he’s durable and has a rookie contract. I’m fine with that.”
The agreement with Garrett came a year too late
Did Browns GM Andrew Berry wait too long to trade Myles Garrett? One NFL executive thinks so, telling us, “That’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 the ground up, giving him a then-record extension.
Then on Monday, they decided to start over.
“That’s the Browns,” one NFL executive told me. “They had a plan. They gave it a whole year. Now they’re starting over. It’s what they do.”
That’s certainly what it looked like 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 did have a historic season.
Of course, he did it on a 5-12 team.
“I don’t know what they got out of keeping him,” the executive told me. “They knew they didn’t have a quarterback. They knew they probably wouldn’t be good until the end of 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 come a year later. [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 AJ Brown got 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 of this offseason, the Eagles finally traded mercurial receiver AJ Brown. In a transaction that had been rumored for months 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 to thought it was a headache for the Eagles to get a first-round pick even though it was a foregone conclusion that Philadelphia would trade Brown to New England. Brown played for Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel when they were both at Tennessee.
“I’m a little surprised the Eagles were able to get a first-round pick as part of the deal, even if it’s the first time in two years,” the league source told me. “It was clear that Philadelphia wanted to move on and they were still able to convince New England to give up one.”
However, the league source acknowledged that the fact that the Rams were close to making a trade for Brown (which would have potentially included receiver Davante Adams) could have raised New England’s price. Now that Brown, known for his prickly personality, is a Patriot, how he fits in with third-year quarterback Drake Maye and how he 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. “I couldn’t be more challenging than Stefon Diggs in that locker room.”
‘Brown looked miserable’ in Philadelphia
One assistant general manager believes AJ Brown is a “classic change-of-scenery guy,” 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 who is approaching 30 years old and who hasn’t lived up to his potential over the last two seasons. But the Patriots hope AJ Brown improves simply by getting him out of Philadelphia.
“He’s a classic change-of-scenery guy,” an NFL assistant general manager told me. “He clearly wasn’t happy in Philadelphia. He’s going to get better just by wearing different colors.”
That’s what the Patriots are counting on after trading a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick for the soon-to-be 29-year-old. His numbers dipped the last two seasons, but he still averaged 73 receptions, 1,041 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing seven games. After recording 1,003 receiving yards in 2025, Brown recorded at least 1,000 yards in six of his first seasons in the league.
The injuries bothering him were nowhere near the problem his attitude and behavior had become, at least to those watching from the outside. And in New England that is expected to change.
“AJ Brown has looked miserable the last two years and the Eagles’ passing game has always been bad,” one scout told me. “But look at the numbers he still put up. And that he split the spotlight with DeVonta Smith. That shows 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 gladly do all that. He’s the best receiver they’ve had in years.”
