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The Rams acquired Myles Garrett from the Browns for a package headlined by Jared Verse and multiple draft picks, while A.J. Brown was traded to the Patriots and Russell Wilson retired to join CBS. The Cavaliers were swept by the Knicks in the Eastern
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Welcome to The Sports Hangover Daily, I'm Michael Benatar. Today on the show: June first was a madhouse — Myles Garrett to the Rams, A.J. Brown finally lands in New England, and Russell Wilson hangs up the cleats for a TV desk. Plus, the Stanley Cup Final starts tonight. Let's get into it.
Alright, the big one. Myles Garrett is a Ram. The Rams and Browns agreed to a deal that sends the two-time Defensive Player of the Year to Los Angeles. And the price? Jared Verse, a twenty twenty-seven first, a twenty twenty-eight second, and a twenty twenty-nine third. That is a massive haul for Cleveland. But honestly? If you're the Rams, you do this ten times out of ten.
Garrett had twenty-three sacks last season. An NFL record. He's already under contract through twenty thirty on a four-year, hundred and sixty million dollar deal. You don't have to negotiate anything. You just plug him in. And the part that makes this so perfect for LA — the Rams are hosting Super Bowl sixty-one at SoFi in February. They won a Super Bowl in that building after the twenty twenty-one season. Now they've added maybe the most dominant defensive player in football to a roster that was already pretty good. Sean McVay is not messing around.
The Verse part stings. He's young, he's talented, and Rams fans loved him. But Cleveland wouldn't budge without him. The Browns made the Rams choose between keeping their promising young edge rusher and getting the best pass rusher on the planet. LA chose the sure thing. You can find pass rushers in the draft. You can't find Myles Garrett. The Browns got a war chest to rebuild with. The Rams got a wrecking ball. Both sides can feel good. But I think LA won this one.
And that wasn't even the only bomb that dropped. A.J. Brown is officially a Patriot. The Eagles finally pulled the trigger, sending Brown to New England for a twenty twenty-eight first and a twenty twenty-seven fifth. This has been building for months. Brown was miserable in Philly. The cryptic social media posts, the frustration with the offense, the drops — it was a mess all last season. He had a thousand and three yards and seven touchdowns on seventy-eight catches. Good numbers on paper, but the vibes were rotten.
Howie Roseman originally wanted a first and a second. Nobody was paying that. The Rams kicked tires and dropped out. So Roseman settled for a future first from the Patriots. He told reporters — a first-round pick is a first-round pick whether it's twenty twenty-six or twenty twenty-eight. I mean, sure, Howie. But a twenty twenty-eight first is about as far away as you can get. That pick is three drafts from now. The Eagles waited until after June first to split that forty-three and a half million dollar dead cap hit across two years. Smart accounting. But they lost a top-ten receiver and got a lottery ticket in return.
For the Patriots, this makes so much sense. Brown reunites with Mike Vrabel. Drake Maye now has a real number one target alongside Romeo Doubs. Brown turns twenty-nine at the end of the month. He's got a few prime years left. If Vrabel can get his head right, this changes New England's offense overnight.
Russell Wilson is done playing football — at least for now. He's finalizing a deal to become a CBS Sports analyst, joining the pregame show with James Brown, Nate Burleson, and Bill Cowher. Wilson had an offer from the Jets to back up Geno Smith, but he chose the broadcast booth. Ian Rapoport says this is technically a pause and not a formal retirement. But come on. He lost his starting job to Jaxson Dart in New York last year. A ten-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champ, almost forty-seven thousand career passing yards. That's a Hall of Fame career. He just couldn't outrun Father Time. Good for him. He'll be great on TV.
OBJ is back with the Giants. Odell Beckham Jr. signed with New York on Monday after working out for the club. He hasn't played since twenty twenty-four when he had nine catches for fifty-five yards with Miami. He missed all of twenty twenty-five on a PED suspension. He's thirty-three. This is a depth move after Gunner Olszewski tore his Achilles last week. Don't expect a revival tour. But it's still cool to see him back in blue.
And one more — the Vikings officially hired Nolan Teasley as their new GM. He spent thirteen years with the Seahawks and was part of two championship runs. J.J. McCarthy said there'll be open competition at quarterback after Minnesota signed Kyler Murray to a one-year deal. That QB room just got interesting.
Here's my Hangover Take. The Cavaliers should be embarrassed, and nobody's talking about it. Cleveland got swept by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Swept. Four games, done. After having the best record in the East. After all the hype about Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley and this being their year. They lost Game one in overtime at home, got blown out in Game four by thirty-seven points, and now their offseason starts in June while the Knicks are playing for a title.
New York hasn't been in the Finals since nineteen ninety-nine. They've won eleven straight playoff games. And Cleveland just laid down. If I'm the Cavs front office, I'm making calls right now. Because that core just showed you its ceiling, and it's not high enough.
That's your hangover. Go hydrate. I'll see you tomorrow.