Browns’ Draft Pick Rule Change Proposal Faces Uphill Battle According to Sean McVay

The Cleveland Browns joined the other 31 organizations in Arizona this week at the annual NFL league meetings.

This week, all 32 organizations will vote on Cleveland’s rule change proposal that would allow general managers to trade draft picks five years into the future instead of three, which is the current rule. This would put the NFL on an even playing field with other Northern American sports, including the NBA, where you can trade draft picks years into the future.

But during an appearance on FanDuel’s “Up & Adams Show,” Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay threw cold water on Cleveland’s proposed rule change.

“There’s a zero percent chance that’ll get through,” McVay said. “I respect the courage for Andrew (Berry) to be able to have a very sound reasoning of what’s behind it. Hey, if there’s one thing you can bet Vegas odds on, there’s no chance that thing’s getting through.””

McVay continued to say that he would not support Cleveland’s rule change proposal.

Rams HC Sean McVay says the Browns' proposed draft pick trading rule change has a "zero percent chance" of passing at the NFL's Annual League Meeting 👀@heykayadams pic.twitter.com/1uxWJzte74
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 30, 2026

The Rams are notorious for being an organization that aggressively makes trades, oftentimes discounting the NFL Draft by trading selections for proven, veteran players. McVay, who is the face of an aggressive franchise like the Rams, saying that this proposal won’t be voted through is likely a precursor for how the rest of the league might feel.

Why did the Browns propose this change?

Unless this proposal has an undercurrent of support from other top NFL decision makers, it officially feels like the Browns could be facing an uphill battle on this issue.

According to Berry, the Browns proposed this rule to give teams flexibility to make trades. The thought was that if teams had the flexibility to trade draft picks five years into the future, general managers would be able to get more creative in trade structures, and boost overall trade market activity – similar to what fans see in the NBA.

There’s an obvious irony that Cleveland was the organization to submit this proposal, as the Browns are still dealing with the fallout from their blockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson in 2022. The Browns traded three first-round picks plus more to the Houston Texans for Watson, who was rewarded with a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.

Unfortunately, Watson never panned out for the Browns, completing only 19 games since that trade. It’s been labeled as one of the worst trades in sports history, as Cleveland’s three first-round draft picks helped build up the Texans into a perennial contender in the AFC.

Just last week, the Browns reworked Myles Garrett’s contract in a way that makes the reigning Defensive Player of the Year more tradable. Even though Berry has repeatedly stated that the Browns have no intention of trading Garrett, there was some thought about that becoming a reality as soon as this offseason – especially if Berry was able to receive draft compensation five seasons into the future as a result.

Despite McVay’s comments, the league will vote on the rule change formally some time this week to get an official verdict. But the writing feels on the wall.