Yesterday, we saw two absolute blockbuster deals happen that will change the landscape of the National Football League. First, the New England Patriots acquired wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and the better of the Pats' two fifth-round picks in 2027, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. More importantly, the Los Angeles Rams landed reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns for pass rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick. We need to grade how each team came out of these June 1st trades.
Los Angeles Rams: A+
Holy sh*t. Talk about the rich getting richer. The Los Angeles Rams were already looked at as one of the biggest Super Bowl-contending teams in the NFL. Now, they should be the clear-cut favorites to win Super Bowl LXI. Who cares if he's 30 years old? THE GUY JUST BROKE THE NFL'S SINGLE-SEASON SACK RECORD! That level of production will be even better in one of the best defenses in the league.
My favorite hot take that I heard from all of this came from one of my oldest friends, Scott Lindsay. He said that Aaron Donald will come out of retirement to join the team for a one-year run. That scorching hot take makes a ton of sense. Donald is only 35 and just two years removed from playing in the NFL. He could sign a one-year, $5 million contract and come in on third downs as a situational pass rusher. Even if Aaron Donald doesn't come out of retirement, the Rams now have arguably the scariest defense in the league with a guy who could be viewed as the best player in the NFL.
Cleveland Browns: A
I get it. It's always difficult to part ways with a top-three player in franchise history. But the truth is that the Browns were not coming close to winning anything with Myles Garrett on the roster. They're tied with the Jets for the fourth-lowest winning percentage in the NFL over the last two seasons (.235). On top of that, Garrett's trade value will never be higher than it is right now, so why not strike while the iron is hot? You get three high-value draft picks as well as one of the young and most promising defensive players in the NFL in Jared Verse, who's already a two-time Pro Bowler at just 25 years of age.
This move is smart because it gets the Browns that much closer to figuring out their quarterback situation. With two first-round picks and three fourth-rounders in 2027 to go with two second-round picks in 2028, the Browns have all the capital needed to finally take a franchise quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft. They will likely make a trade to acquire one of the top two picks in the 2027 Draft.
Philadelphia Eagles: A-
Some people are already making the claim that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman got fleeced. I'm here to tell you that is not the case. Howie Roseman does not get fleeced. He landed a first-round pick and a fifth-rounder for a wide receiver who had no interest in staying in Philadelphia. Also, Roseman made a smart choice by going with a 2028 first-rounder instead of 2027. The Pats are probably going to be good this coming season, but who knows what will happen the year after that? Howie Roseman did a nice job of navigating this situation while still getting good value for A.J. Brown.
New England Patriots: A-
The Patriots needed a new WR1 with the loss of Stefon Diggs. This move makes a lot of sense, even if it costs them a future first-round pick. But, there's something not many New Englanders are asking themselves: would the Pats have won Super Bowl LX if they had A.J. Brown instead of Stefon Diggs? The answer to that question is clearly no. The Seahawks were still leaps and bounds better than New England.
Regardless, I understand why the Patriots made this move. They needed a number-one wideout. All I'm saying is, they'd better make sure that A.J. Brown gets everything he wants. If he doesn't get the right number of targets to satisfy him, he will end up being a distraction, which is the last thing the Pats need right now. Honestly, I give this relationship a year before it starts to sour.
