NFL Confidential: Execs, Scouts Crown Winners In Myles Garrett, A.J. Brown Trades

Most of us were expecting one major NFL trade on Monday. However, we wound up with two deals that will drastically shake up the 2026 season, and one of the trades ranks 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 A.J. 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 on regarding 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 several execs and scouts around the league those questions following Monday’s trades. From praising the Rams to questioning the Browns, here’s what they told us: 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 about the deal. “It’s hard to argue with it 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, then it’s awesome for them no matter what else happens. That’s how you really judge it for them. They would love to win it this year, but if they win it any time [Garrett] is on the team and he is a key factor, it’s a good trade. It does not need to be the 2026 season. It would be unlikely it is 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, logging 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 a different 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 during their career, but that’s not the case now. “I think he’ll be a good fit with the Rams and give them something they do not have. He’s got a lot of gas left in the tank. … Sometimes a good player like that will up his game even further in a new environment.” Parting with a two-time Pro Bowler in Verse isn’t easy, as the 2024 first-round pick ranked sixth in total pressures last season, per 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 does not come cheap,” the executive said to me. “It’s the cost of doing business.” As for the Browns, the front office executive said receiving Verse and the draft assets will help continue the team’s rebuilding process under new head coach Todd Monken. “He’s a big, fast and productive pass rusher who can also play the run,” the executive said about Verse. “At 25 years old, he’s durable and on a rookie contract. Sounds good to me.” 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 started rebuilding from scratch, giving him a record extension at the time. Then, on Monday, they decided to start all over again. “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 the way it seemed when they traded Garrett just a 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 deal him even after he requested a trade last offseason. And they did get 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 executive told me. “They knew they didn’t have a quarterback. They knew they probably wouldn’t 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’ve gotten a better deal last year or even the same deal, but they would’ve been a year further along [in their rebuilding]. You can’t run a franchise by starting over every year.” Williams: In one of the worst-kept secrets this offseason, the Eagles finally traded mercurial receiver A.J. Brown. In a transaction rumored for months to take place on June 1 due to salary cap ramifications for the Eagles, the Patriots gave up a first-round pick in 2028 and a fifth-round selection in 2027 for Brown’s services. One source I spoke with thought it a head-scratcher that the Eagles secured a first-round pick even though it was a foregone conclusion that Philadelphia was trading Brown to New England. Brown played for Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel when both of them were in Tennessee. “I’m somewhat surprised that 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 still able to convince New England to give up a one.” However, the league source acknowledged that the Rams coming close to making a trade for Brown (which potentially would have 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 for in New England. “I think he’ll be fine in the locker room,” the league source told me. “He couldn’t be any more challenging than Stefon Diggs in that locker room.” Vacchiano: A first-round pick in any draft is a high price to pay for a wide receiver approaching age 30 who hasn’t lived up to his potential over the past two seasons. But the Patriots expect that A.J. Brown will improve just by getting him out of Philadelphia. “He’s the classic change-of-scenery guy,” an NFL assistant general manager told me. “He clearly wasn’t happy in Philly. He’s going to be 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 receiving 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 weren’t nearly the problem that his attitude and demeanor had become, at least to those who watched him from the outside. And in New England, that is expected to change. “A.J. Brown looked miserable over the last two years and the Eagles’ passing game was always off,” a scout told me. “But look at the numbers he still put up. And he did that splitting attention with DeVonta Smith. That shows you how talented this guy is. “Yes, you’ve got 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.”