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Cleveland Browns want the NFL to make a rule change that could impact the team’s willingness to trade Myles Garrett in the future

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Brandon Little | Last updated Mar 19, 2026 10:48 AM ET

The Cleveland Browns made the biggest and likely worst trade of NFL history four years ago when they acquired QB Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans.

Flash forward four years and the Browns are trying to make an NFL rule change happen, which would have a big impact on trades of star players.

Browns propose rule change on draft picks used in trades

Cleveland was one of two teams, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers to propose a rule change. The Steelers want to make the 2025 rule change permanent so that teams can have calls with up to five free agents during the negotiating period. Cleveland wants to allow draft picks to be traded up to five years in advance, a rise from three years.

Here’s the full language of the Browns’ proposal to allow teams to trade draft picks up to five years in the future, rather than the current three, in part to “create more creative trade structures that better mirror the valuations of both draft selections and players.” https://t.co/v98cSnSFJS pic.twitter.com/Lh45gkXPwh
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 18, 2026

The Browns' reasoning behind the requested trade was that it provides teams greater roster flexibility by expanding the range of future assets available for trade.

Just a year ago it was Myles Garrett requesting a trade from the Browns. Cleveland never entertained a trade, but it would have taken at least three first-round picks to land him surely. A change in this rule would allow the Browns to gain up to five first-round picks, making it all the more enticing for Cleveland to trade him if they were offered such a haul in the future.

There’s a downside to this trade too. Cleveland traded three first-round picks and more to get Watson from Houston. If the rules allowed for five first-round picks to be moved, then it’s hard to say the Texans wouldn’t have been asking for such. Cleveland would have been giving away their 2024 and 2025 first-round picks. That’s a pretty scary possibility for teams to wage five first-round picks in the future.

Cleveland being the team to bring this trade to the table is interesting. The proposal will be voted on starting March 29 at the Annual Meeting.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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