How June 1 turned into a blockbuster trade day in the NFL

Leave it to the NFL to turn a day long known in league circles for accounting into one teeming with tension -- and a manifestation of Super Bowl hopes for multiple teams spread from coast to coast.

At 4:01 p.m. ET on June 1 every year, NFL teams can prorate the dead salary cap hit of a player's contract over two years if trading or cutting that player.

This year's date fell on a Monday. But this was hardly a routine start to an offseason week, thanks to back-to-back blockbuster trades consummated hours apart: One expected for months and one that sent shockwaves through the league.

The Los Angeles Rams were at center stage ... again. They've made massive deals for the likes of Von Miller, Matthew Stafford and Trent McDuffie, and their latest move might be the biggest.

General manager Les Snead, known as one of the league's most aggressive trade snipers, was savoring the moment last Monday. The Rams were about to finalize the trade for surefire Hall of Famer Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns. While waiting to connect with Garrett later that day, Snead contemplated during a quiet moment at his office, as months of legwork culminated in a stark realization:

"We just got the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year," Snead recalled his thinking in the moment to ESPN. "And really it's about how someone has to affect the game on Sundays to win that award."

While the Rams had kept their plans with Cleveland under wraps, the New England Patriots were long attached to a trade for Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown that would finalize shortly after 4 p.m. ET. Patriots headquarters were business-like that day, but one team source couldn't help but think of his coach, Mike Vrabel, who got the player he coveted.

"[Brown's] probably been in the head coach's mind for a long time," the source said. "Far before [the trade]."

As for the Eagles: The divorce from Brown on June 1 symbolized a fresh start for quarterback Jalen Hurts and the rest of the offense. That Philadelphia stretched the trade to June 1 -- effectively saving around $27 million of dead salary cap space this year in the process -- while gaining first- and fifth-round picks for Brown was considered a win in league circles.

Emotions spilled through other parts of the league. Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry felt the urgency, finalizing the trade from Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, where the Browns were hosting a foundation charity event that day. The deal was basically done, but Berry was coordinating with the Rams while interacting with Browns officials, coaches and players at the event, preparing to address the media once the news broke.

He had made peace with the trade, which garnered a huge haul for Cleveland (two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks) but left the team without the game's best pass rusher. Berry finally exhaled on the way home from Akron that night.

All this set the stage for the NFL's latest headline-grabbing day, one that sources indicate teams could lean into going forward. Each of the June 1 trades have their own unreported unknowns and special peculiarities about them, and more than 15 coaches, players, executives and scouts spoke to ESPN about how the transactions went from idea to execution for the Eagles, Patriots, Rams and Browns.

Jump to:
Eagles' haul | Patriots' patience
Rams' plans | Browns' future
Is this just the beginning?

Eagles | 'A first-round pick is a first-round pick'

The Eagles thought Brown might finish his career in Philadelphia when they signed him to a three-year, $94 million extension in April 2024. The Super Bowl run that followed only strengthened the idea that the Brown-Eagles partnership had some staying power -- so what if he pulled out a book on the sideline or shined the occasional light on the offense's inefficiencies?

But the frustrations that sometimes bubbled to the surface appeared more frequently in 2025, whether it was via a cryptic social media post amid a 4-0 start or when he called his situation a "s--- show" during a livestream.

Brown, 28, is driven by winning and had hoped to create a Patriots-like dynasty in Philadelphia, but is also chasing a Hall of Fame career. He wants to be a central part of the offense and a catalyst for the winning, which wasn't always the case over the past couple of seasons.

A good bit of his angst stemmed from the play of Hurts, league sources said, in part because of Hurts' perceived reluctance to target Brown on tight-window throws against zone coverage.

Once considered best friends, Brown said there was "no bad blood" between him and Hurts during a recent interview with NBC's Maria Taylor, but he acknowledged they were "not as close as we once were" -- which became apparent over the past couple of years by how seldom they would interact publicly. The Eagles didn't want a situation in which it felt like they weren't in it together, knowing they've been at their best when team chemistry is right. Through conversations between Brown and management, it became apparent early in the offseason that Brown wanted out of Philly, believing it was best for the next stage of his career.

Once that realization set in, the Eagles began looking at an alternate path to their next championship that didn't include Brown. The concept of a Brown trade -- or at least his possible availability in a post-June 1 deal -- started to circulate in league circles in February, and one Patriots source estimated the NFL combine in late February was around that time for New England. After all, Brown made too much sense for New England, both as a former player for Vrabel and a top-end receiver for the passing game.

The Eagles and Patriots acknowledged in March and into April that they were serious about a potential deal, one source recalled. But Philadelphia's initial asking prices were hefty, added the source, who recalled a first-round pick and a significant additional pick in exchange for Brown.

An Eagles source says that Philadelphia's original ask was not two first-round picks.

This is against the backdrop of a fresh receiver comp: the Denver Broncos' trade for Miami Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle on March 17. Denver gave up a first-, third- and fourth-round picks in exchange for Waddle and a fourth-rounder. Brown is higher on the proverbial receiver food chain than Waddle, who is 18 months younger and on a more team-friendly contract.

New England eventually came around on relinquishing a first-round pick but was dedicated to keeping its 2027 first. Next year's draft is considered high quality in the scouting community.

Meanwhile, the Eagles stood firm that the return had to include a first-round pick and were OK with shifting their sights to 2028. At the very least, they felt their 2028 pick would be higher than the Patriots' 2026 selection (31st) in a better class than this year.

"A first-round pick is a first-round pick," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. "The team is still going to be playing football in 2028. We did that with Haason [Reddick] with the Jets where we took a third-round pick two years later because it was really important to us to get the right value. I think from our perspective, getting a first-round pick for our team, having two first-round picks in '28 is a huge, huge part of this move."

They immediately began preparations for life without Brown, inking Elijah Moore and Hollywood Brown to one-year deals before trading for Dontayvion Wicks and drafting Makai Lemon in the first round back in April.

Despite long-term momentum for a deal, the sides did not agree to terms and total compensation until Monday, a source said.

Patriots | 'This ain't heaven, but it's close to it'

Brown's neon pink cleats flashed a blast of color in the distance as he began his long walk to the Patriots' upper fields for his first practice last Tuesday in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

By the time Brown arrived, scaling the conditioning hill in the back left-hand corner, something unusual happened. Defensive linemen who always congregated in that area stopped what they were doing, looking in his direction and noting his presence.

Call it the A.J. Brown Effect.

Vrabel said the Patriots were motivated to add a "premium player, but somebody we also feel strongly about as a person."

A few weeks after the Patriots' surprising run to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California -- when they were beaten soundly by the Seattle Seahawks 29-13 -- a key decision loomed with leading receiver and emotional spark plug Stefon Diggs (85 receptions, 1,013 yards, 4 TDs).

In early March, the Patriots ultimately released the 32-year-old Diggs, who would have been guaranteed an additional $6 million with a salary cap charge increasing to $26.5 million, and targeted Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs as a younger (26), cheaper alternative in free agency (four years for $68 million and an $8.6 million cap charge in 2026).

At that point, the Patriots still had confidence that talks on a Brown deal were far enough along that the likelihood of it being finalized was high, per league sources. This was later reflected in them not selecting a wide receiver in April's draft despite having nine picks.

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Why Marcus Spears loves Patriots trading for A.J. Brown

Furthermore, they were willing to wait until June 1, which benefited the Eagles because they could spread Brown's $40 million salary cap charge over two years.

"He's somebody that we feel strongly about as a person, a competitor and a teammate," Vrabel said, previously sharing that the two maintained contact through text messages and the relationship -- one that had been forged as Brown played under Vrabel in Tennessee from 2019 to 2021 -- "meant a lot" to him.

Where the Patriots are in the second year of Vrabel's program -- for two reasons -- was also a critical component to the team's decision-making process, per team sources.

First, despite a Super Bowl appearance, Vrabel remains committed to a longer-range vision to rejuvenate the talent level of a contending roster that was depleted upon his arrival. With the first-round pick traded for Brown coming in 2028, Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf will have already had three full drafts and free agent cycles to build their desired foundation by that point.

Second, Maye is in the third year of a rookie contract that extends through the 2028 season. He will be eligible for a record-setting extension as early as next offseason, so the team wants to maximize the window with Maye on his more affordable deal and can absorb Brown's contract, which calls for him to earn $29 million this season and $21 million in 2027. Brown's cap hits are only $7 million and $10.9 million in those seasons.

On the field, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels sees a rare player in the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Brown.

"There's a force to the way he plays the game," he said. "I'm not sure I've been around one that looks just like him; maybe the closest thing I've seen is Gronk [Rob Gronkowski]."

The Patriots were one of Browns' preferred destinations, his "childhood team," and that was evident throughout his first full day with the team. He said he caught himself not paying attention at one point in practice because he was taking it all in.

Then, in a smile-filled news conference, he delivered a sound bite that resonated across New England.

"I know this ain't heaven. But it's close to it."

Rams | Trade for Garrett months in the making

It was late March when Snead heard that the Browns had adjusted Garrett's contract, pushing back the dates of the option bonuses in his contract from the 15th day of the league year to seven days before the regular season each year.

While it was a procedural move for the Browns, it also made Garrett's contract easier to trade. And while Browns sources insist that language modification was not a signal flare to the rest of the league, it didn't escape the Rams' notice.

"We thought at that point, maybe it's a possibility," Snead told ESPN. "We made a call, thinking no way it would happen."

Snead said at that point in March he decided to "check in" with Browns general manager Andrew Berry. Berry and the Browns declined, Snead said, "but Andrew and I have a good relationship.

"We like talking about football a good bit so I would pester him a little bit, probably jokingly at first, kept doing that. And then we began talking a little more seriously about it."

The Rams figured they would have competition for Garrett, but multiple Browns sources insist this trade was Rams-specific and no other suitors reached a serious threshold.

There was a dormant period until after the draft, a source said, when the Rams brass gathered and asked, "Are we going to keep talking about this [deal]?" Los Angeles had just drafted quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 pick, choosing to select the player they believe will be able to take over for Stafford when he retires.

While the Rams were thinking about the future there, they were also committed to making another big splash on defense, as they had when they traded for McDuffie, an All-Pro cornerback, in early March.

To fulfill that commitment, the Rams circled back with the Browns on Wednesday, April 29, after the draft. Snead called Berry directly to "see if [sides] could work something out," per source.

But with Garrett, the answer was no, multiple parties said, until the Rams agreed to include edge rusher Jared Verse in the deal. Parting with Verse, the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Rams coach Sean McVay said, "was the hardest part of this decision."

Around mid-May is when the Browns started to believe the Rams might be willing to part with Verse. But even late in the process, the Rams kept offering packages that did not include the Pro Bowler -- as one source put it, the Rams "sweetened the pot" with a package featuring more draft capital than the first-, second- and third-rounders Cleveland eventually received.

One complication: Garrett had a no-trade clause in the contract extension he signed with Cleveland in 2025. After about a month of talking, Snead said he asked Berry, "Hey, I know Myles has a no-trade clause. Are we going to have gone through all this and he's going to say no?"

Garrett said he found out L.A. was even a possibility about a week before the trade happened. A source told ESPN that the Browns granted the Rams permission to speak with Garrett in the days before the trade. The Rams declined the conversation because they were comfortable with the deal -- as one team source said, "you're buying a blue-chip stock" and there's not a lot of guesswork with that.

The Rams didn't want anything -- not even a phone call -- to jeopardize the deal. A source said the Rams wanted to make sure they could tell Verse in person that he was going to be traded.

"The opportunity to come here, have an immediate and profound impact on this team, it was something I had to move forward with." Myles Garrett on his new team, the L.A. Rams

Los Angeles is no stranger to these blockbuster deals, and in trading for Garrett, they leaned on what they've learned from the past: Be as discreet as possible.

"The inner circle has to be less than more," a team source said. "You make a point to omit information. If this isn't happening until June 1, it just becomes a distraction if it gets out."

It helped that the Rams were no longer considering trading for Brown. Los Angeles talked to Philadelphia about Brown's availability back in March but had moved on. "That was more of a free agency discussion," a team source said. The Rams were freed up to focus solely on the Garrett deal.

The final deal that came to fruition on June 1 was Garrett in exchange for Verse, a first-round draft pick in 2027, a second-round pick in 2028 and a third-round pick in 2029. The Rams added more draft capital in light of trying to keep Verse, even late in the process, a source said.

Now, Garrett joins a team favored to win Super Bowl LXI, according to DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publication. Garrett said while it was not an easy decision to waive his no-trade clause to leave Cleveland, he is excited for the chance to play for McVay and with Stafford.

"Knowing I'll have the ability late in games to pin my ears back, not just because we need a play to be made, but because we have the lead and it's obvious passing downs," Garrett said. "Being able to make plays to win the game for us, those are things that appeal to me and I'm sure appeal to all of us as D-linemen. That is something I really look forward to."

Browns | Why Cleveland traded a Hall of Famer

Over the past two offseasons, the Browns have been in what Berry has called a "strategic pivot." Cleveland, which has won eight total games in the past two seasons, has parted ways with several aging veterans who were key to playoff runs in 2020 and 2023, while infusing the roster with young talent Berry hopes will lay the foundation for a new core.

As the roster had been turned over, though, Garrett was the line of demarcation. Berry rebuffed inquiries after Garrett's public trade request last year and called him a "career Brown" as recently as the league meetings in March.

"I'll be honest, I did not have this press conference on my bingo card for this spring," Berry said Tuesday after executing the trade.

Berry had wrestled with the emotions tied to trading the face of the Browns' franchise, but it was outweighed by what he viewed as a deal that was beneficial for the organization. He laid out three conditions that an offer would have to satisfy if he ever entertained trading Garrett: Short- and long-term benefits, a young, cost-controlled player at a premium position and premium draft capital.

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Adam Schefter: Jared Verse made it possible for Myles Garrett trade to happen

Berry acknowledged those requirements limited the pool of trade partners. He also said Garrett did not request another trade, and Cleveland didn't seek a bidding war to bring other teams into negotiations.

Berry said plainly that the Rams' inclusion of Verse changed his thinking on a potential trade. The 25-year-old was named a Pro Bowler in his first two seasons. He has two years and his fifth-year option remaining on his rookie contract, and Verse will be extension eligible after the 2026 season -- a timeline that fits the current core better than Garrett, who will turn 31 on Dec. 29.

"It wasn't like a Plan A going into the offseason, but quite honestly, we would have operated differently if it was. But sometimes things come across your path that you're just, you're not expecting, and you can't be so dogmatic in your strategy and planning that you can't adjust and be flexible to great opportunities," Berry said.

A team source said Verse was valued at a "[first-round pick-plus] easily."

"He allows us to continue to play defense at a high level, which has been our standard over the past several seasons," Berry said.

Even as Garrett came off his trade request and signed a four-year extension last year, an air of uncertainty lingered over his relationship with the Browns. He made it known that his commitment to Cleveland was contingent on the organization's commitment to winning, and he lamented another losing season, even as he was en route to breaking the NFL's single-season sack record.

Garrett's absence at the Browns' voluntary portion of this year's offseason workout program and the fact he had yet to meet new coach Todd Monken or defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg face-to-face raised eyebrows. Garrett, though, has typically used his offseason to train back in his home state of Texas before arriving for the mandatory portion of the offseason, and the Browns expected as much this year.

Though Garrett wasn't thrilled when former DC Jim Schwartz was passed over for the head coaching job and resigned after a fallout with the organization -- he posted a meme expressing exasperation to his Instagram account -- Berry said Garrett was updated throughout the coaching search and both sides maintained communication during the offseason as Garrett spent much of his time traveling with his girlfriend, Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim.

As the trade began to reach the June 1 finish line, Berry reached out to Garrett the week before to let him know about the developments. Garrett arrived in Cleveland on Saturday, May 30, to meet with and say his goodbyes to Berry and owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam, which Berry called "bittersweet," and added "our intent was to have him be a one-helmet player for his career -- and that was the truth."

Garrett said during his introductory news conference with the Rams last week: "I'll always have love in my heart for Cleveland, the city, community and all its players and everything else, but the opportunity to come here, have an immediate and profound impact on this team, it was something I had to move forward with."

Is this just the beginning?

Last Monday punctuated the direction the league is going -- toward more blockbuster trades.

In fact, when assessing value in the Garrett trade, the Browns surveyed the landscape of trades over the past year, per a source, specifically for non-quarterback superstars.

They didn't have to look far to find them: Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts, Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys, Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens (reversed), Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, McDuffie to the Rams, Waddle to the Broncos. All those deals yielded at least a first-round pick, three of them involved multiple firsts, and all but Lawrence included at least one other pick in the first three rounds. And they all took place within the past 9½ months.

Save a select few quarterbacks, the number of "one-helmet" premier players is dwindling. General managers are more willing or eager to make deals now, no longer clinging to precious draft capital as tightly.

Teams in a rebuilding phase are quicker to accept that reality. Others in contention are leaning into the one-player-away mantra. And they are all more willing to consider a high salary cap player a sunk cost if the relationship no longer works.

Combine this with the post-June 1 fireworks and the NFL summer heat will only intensify.

As if this week's trades weren't enough, five veteran players received big-money extensions this week as teams conduct big business before breaking for the summer.

"I think the league will [lean into] the June 1 thing," an AFC executive said. "It's the summer, it's slow, and these deals are good engagement for the league."