Was this Browns' decision the final straw for Myles Garrett?

After years of speculation and back and forth, the Cleveland Browns have finally traded Myles Garrett. 

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year was sent to the Los Angeles Rams in a bombshell trade that sent Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-round selection to Cleveland.

The trade was reportedly in the works for a while, and while some may have been surprised, the writing had been on the wall for months.

It all started the very second the Browns hired Todd Monken as their new head coach, not because of Monken himself, but because it meant Jim Schwartz would leave.

Jim Schwartz's seemed to upset Myles Garrett

Schwartz spent the past three years as the Browns' defensive coordinator. He built a close relationship with Garrett and helped him elevate his game to new heights, including two Defensive Player of the Year awards.

He was one of the Browns' finalists for the head-coaching position, and reportedly stormed out of the building once he learned they were going with Monken instead.

Monken was willing to keep him on as defensive coordinator. Schwartz, however, chose to leave instead.

Garrett then took to social media with not-so-cryptic posts to share his thoughts on this situation, and while he claimed his complaints were about Schwartz's departure and not related to Monken's arrival, he never publicly endorsed the head coach.

Instead, he skipped OTAs -- as he always does -- and didn't even care to meet with Monken. That's clearly not the expectation coming from a franchise player.

It's also worth noting that Garrett had a full no-trade clause in his deal, so there was no way this happened without his consent. It may have happened exclusively because of his desire to leave, although he reportedly never approached the Browns with a formal request to be traded.

Garrett has fluctuated over the years between expressing commitment to the Browns and making known his desire to play for a contender. The decision to hire Monken may have swung the pendulum back toward Garrett wanting out of Cleveland, regardless of whether he explicitly expressed that desire.

At least the Browns got an excellent return for their 30-year-old superstar, and they now get a clean slate to kick-off the Monken era.