Revisiting Vikings' Greenard Trade in Light of Myles Garrett Blockbuster

The Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns shocked the NFL world on Monday by agreeing to a trade that will send two-time defensive player of the year Myles Garrett to LA for standout young pass rusher Jared Verse, a first-round pick, and two Day 2 picks.

Full trade terms, per ESPN sources:

🏈Rams receive: Myles Garrett

🏈Browns receive: Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 2nd and a 2029 3rd. https://t.co/3WdPta3vrz pic.twitter.com/mXq3tUEhdt
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 1, 2026

It's a stunning blockbuster, albeit one that probably makes sense for both sides. Garrett, who is arguably the best player in the NFL regardless of position, instantly makes the Rams one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. The Browns are losing a first ballot Hall of Famer but replacing him with a Pro Bowl stud on a rookie contract in Verse, as well as a first-rounder and more picks. Cleveland has made only two trips to the playoffs since drafting Garrett first overall in 2017.

From a Vikings perspective, the league's best pass rusher getting traded feels like a reason to look back at Minnesota trading Jonathan Greenard to the Eagles during the draft. Obviously Greenard isn't the same caliber of player as Garrett, but with the kind of demand that edge rushers are in, one can make the case that two late third-round picks wasn't enough of a return for the Vikings.

In the 2024 regular season, only five players recorded at least 70 pressures, according to PFF. These were the five:

Player	2024 pressures	2024 PFF Grade
Myles Garrett	83	92.3
Trey Hendrickson	83	88.1
Jonathan Greenard	80	80.8
Jared Verse	77	86.2
Micah Parsons	70	90.0

This is not to suggest that Greenard was a top-five edge rusher in 2024. He played more snaps than almost anyone else at his position, and his rate stats placed him in the 10-15 range among edge rushers. But his volume of pressure production was elite.

Among that group, Garrett and Verse just got traded for each other, with the Browns also receiving significant draft capital. Parsons was traded to the Packers for Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. Hendrickson hit free agency this spring and signed for $112 million over four years ($12 million more than the deal the Eagles gave Greenard).

Looking back further, Bradley Chubb was traded for a first-round pick in 2022. Khalil Mack fetched two firsts in 2018. The Vikings' leverage may have been hurt by the league knowing they didn't want to give Greenard a raise, but it still feels like two picks just barely inside the top 100 was a light return for Minnesota's best defensive player.

Interestingly, the Eagles were rumored to be one of the teams who called the Browns about Garrett, but the Greenard trade may have taken them out of the running to some degree.

The main forward-looking takeaway for the Vikings is just that the Rams are going to be a load to deal with in the NFC for at least the next year or two. Garrett, Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, and Trent McDuffie is quite the quartet of stars at premium positions.

The Vikings won't play the Rams, Eagles, or Browns in the 2026 regular season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google