There’s no telling, of course, how the Cleveland Browns‘ trade that sent out Myles Garrett last week will be judged by history. But no matter how strongly one might feel about Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year after setting the record for most sacks in a season in 2025, this is obviously a deal that was done for the future. And the Browns’ future surely looks a bit brighter these days.
Not only did the Browns bring in Jared Verse to fill the hole left by Garrett, but they added a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-rounder. The Browns now hold 11 picks in the 2027 draft, and while the bulk of those (five altogether) are in the fourth and fifth rounds, they have two first-rounders plus their second-round pick and their third-round pick.
The Browns are young, and might take a step back in 2026. Their over/under win total is 5.5, and there are only two teams (the Cardinals and Dolphins) projected for fewer wins. There is enthusiasm around the team, but this could still land as a bottom-five bunch, in good position for the 2027 NFL draft. And for the Browns, that’s always meant one thing in particular: quarterback Arch Manning.
Browns Trade Will Be Judged by What Happens Next
In fact, Pete Prisco of CBS sports says that the entire Garrett trade will be judged from the Browns perspective by whether they wind up with Manning in 2027. Owner Jimmy Haslam has long had ties to the Mannings dating from when Peyton Manning played for Tennessee (Haslam is a Volunteers alum and a booster), and his interest in getting Arch Manning to Cleveland has been long rumored.
As Prisco said: “If I were the Cleveland Browns fans, this is what I would do: I would start watching a lot of the University of Texas. That’s what I would do. I would keep an eye on the University of Texas because they have a quarterback by the name of Manning down there and their owner, Jimmy Haslam, is very tight with the Manning family.
“I think this sets them up to go make the move if they have to next year to go get Arch Manning. And that’s how this trade will ultimately be judged. Right now, if you had to grade it, you’d say Rams, they killed it right now with this move. Ten years down the road, if they end up with Arch Manning and he becomes the answer at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, who have not had one in forever, then they’ll win the trade.”
Arch Manning Still Needs to Improve
Of course, there will need to be some twists and turns that got he right way for the Browns to wind up with Manning. They will need to be bad enough to either have a pick in the range to draft Manning, or be able to put together a package that gets them into that range. If they win six games and have the No. 8 pick, they’ll need to be able to package that perhaps with the Rams’ pick and their 2028 first-rounder to move up.
It also requires that neither of the Browns’ current quarterback combo–Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders–does not catch fire an earn the job going forward.
Manning will also have to play better than he did in 2025, when he threw for 3,163 yards with 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 13 games, going 10-3 in those games. He is considered a top 2027 quarterback based more on potential and glimpses than on consistent production.
But if things fall right … he could well be a Cleveland Brown.
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