Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry arrived at the NFL’s annual meeting in Phoenix with a proposal that has drawn both curiosity and outright mockery from around the league. The Browns submitted a resolution to allow teams to trade draft picks up to five years into the future, a two-year expansion on the current three-year limit.
Berry, who also serves as the franchise’s executive vice president of football operations, met with reporters Sunday in Phoenix to address the idea. The impetus, he explained, was about “giving more flexibility to teams in terms of volume,” according to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi on X. The framing has not quieted the critics, particularly given Cleveland’s recent history with draft capital.
The proposal is one of only two team-submitted changes circulating to ownership ahead of these meetings. The Pittsburgh Steelers submitted the other, addressing player contact rules during the free-agent negotiating window.
Any change requires approval from at least 24 of the league’s 32 owners to pass.
Browns GM Andrew Berry told local reporters in Phoenix for the NFL’s league meetings that the impetus for proposing a rule change that would allow NFL teams to trade draft picks five years into the future instead of three was “giving more flexibility to teams in terms of volume…
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) March 29, 2026
In its formal submission, the Browns outlined reasons for the change, centered on greater roster-building flexibility, more creative trade structures, and a more active overall market.
The NBA already allows teams to trade picks up to seven years into the future, though that league has its own safeguards to prevent franchises from stripping consecutive first-round selections from themselves.
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Jul 28, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns managing and principal partner Jimmy Haslam, left, and executive vice president, football operations & general manager Andrew Berry, middle, and executive vice president, partner JW Johnson watch during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Critics Pushed Back Quickly, Pointing Directly at Cleveland’s Own Draft History
Multiple users noted the irony of the Browns, who sent three consecutive first-round picks to the Houston Texans in 2022 for quarterback Deshaun Watson, now advocating for a deeper future commitment window.
Rich Eisen, speaking on his nationally syndicated show, called the idea “the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard” before softening his stance slightly once he considered how the rule could help a team packaging picks for a superstar pass rusher or franchise quarterback.
Los Angeles Rams president Kevin Demoff publicly backed the proposal, viewing it as a logical step for a league where trade activity grows more complex every season.
Berry had plenty more to answer for in Phoenix. Recent contract restructuring moves surrounding All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett had sparked trade speculation, which Berry pushed back on directly.
“If we wanted to trade Myles, we wouldn’t have needed to make a contract adjustment,” Berry said. “Myles is a career Brown.”
Andrew Berry's Open QB Declaration Puts Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson in Direct Battle for QB1
Andrew Berry’s Open QB Declaration Puts Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson in Direct Battle for QB1
(Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
On the draft, Cleveland enters with nine picks, including the No. 6 and No. 24 selections in round one. Berry said the team’s approach remains wide open.
“I don’t know that we are going to be picking six at the end of April,” Berry told reporters. “And if we are picking six, I have no idea what we’re going to take at this point.”
The five-year pick window may not pass this cycle. The messenger carries real weight in that room, and Cleveland’s track record makes it easy for skeptics to dismiss the logic.