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Les Snead was worried.
The Los Angeles Rams general manager had been in talks with Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry for more than a month, hoping to land star defensive end Myles Garrett in a trade, Snead revealed to reporters Tuesday. During that process, Snead’s concern occurred to him:
“Are we going to have gone through all this and then [Myles] he’s going to say ‘No,'” Snead said.
That’s because in order 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 promising star Jared Verse, there was still a chance Garrett could turn down the deal.
It is a rare occurrence in sports that a player who is under contract and not a free agent has a direct say over his future. Garrett earned that right after nine elite years with Cleveland, earning seven Pro Bowl nods and setting the NFL record for sacks (23) in 2025 to receive his second Defensive Player of the Year award. He had requested a trade after the 2024 season, before eventually moving up again with Cleveland, so there was interest in being sent elsewhere.
Still, Garrett said, it was a decision he had to reflect on.
Garrett learned about the possibility of the trade “about a week ago,” he said Tuesday, speaking at an introductory news conference alongside Snead and Rams head coach Sean McVay. Garrett’s contract had been restructured to reduce the salary cap in 2029 and 2030, making him an easier asset to move. When the Rams were the expected destination, he was excited.
“It was a surprise, it was a little emotional,” Garrett said. “Being in Los Angeles, I have a lot of roots here. And knowing that there is a winning culture here and great teammates and great coaches, 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 big postseason and Super Bowl experience was an opportunity he relished, one for which he would certainly waive a no-trade clause.
“To be a winner now, to have the opportunity to do it right away, ultimately it was too hard to pass up,” he said. “The opportunity to come here, to have an immediate and profound impact on this team, was something I had to pursue.”
Snead said he felt “confident” Sunday that the trade would happen. After weeks of haggling over picks and players, a sense of “finality” emerged, he said.
“There was a lot of discussion about it,” McVay added. “Until it became a reality, to be able to add players like this, it’s very rare, the 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 really official.”
Part of that wait included Garrett waiving his no-trade clause and agreeing to be traded to Los Angeles himself. After deliberation and reflection, he did just that.
