When Cleveland sent Myles Garrett away on June 1, the Browns made their future clear: Jared Verse was supposed to be a centerpiece, not a question mark.
That’s why the conversation around his next contract has turned a little strange. Verse came to Berea with two Pro Bowl selections in two seasons and looked like the kind of young edge defender a team could build around for years. Under the original plan, Cleveland would almost certainly pick up his fifth-year option next spring and sort out a long-term extension after that.
Now, that clean path is getting more complicated.
Browns salary cap expert Jack Duffin raised the possibility in his latest piece for the Orange and Brown Report, noting that Verse’s fifth-year option is projected to land at a fully guaranteed $27.9 million in 2028. Because he has made multiple Pro Bowls, Verse qualifies for the highest tier. But the production hasn’t matched the price tag so far in Cleveland.
His pressure rate has fallen sharply since his first two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, dropping from 16% of snaps to 6.6%. Through seven games and 300 defensive snaps as a Brown, he still hasn’t registered a sack.
Duffin says that opens the door, at least in theory, to the Browns declining the option and letting Verse play out 2027 on an expiring deal.
“Hypothetically if Verse continues on his current trend it is best to avoid picking up the fifth year option,” Duffin wrote. “The $28m fifth year option due to his two Pro Bowls is based on the 2027 franchise tag.
So they could let him play out his deal in 2027 and then decide if they want to keep him. If he proves his worth then agreeing a multi year extension would be the direction, with the protection of a franchise tag.”
For now, the Browns are still dealing with a real edge-rusher issue, and it showed up in ESPN’s trade-deadline buzz this week. In a list of the 25 players most likely to be moved, Cleveland was linked as a possible fit for three veteran edge defenders: Jermaine Johnson II, YaYa Diaby, and Khalil Mack.
That lines up with the bigger roster picture. Verse has remained strong against the run and is once again sitting inside the top 10 of ESPN’s edge run stop win rate leaders.
But the pass-rush numbers are lagging badly. Pro Football Focus has him on pace for fewer than 30 QB pressures this season, or 29.1.
By comparison, PFF charted him with 100 pressures in 2025 and 89 as a rookie in 2024.
Because of that drop, a massive extension feels unlikely right now. Verse is nowhere near the territory of Will Anderson’s $50 million per year deal with more than $100 million fully guaranteed, and even the league’s top-five average of $44.52 million looks like a stretch.
That’s why Duffin sees defensive end as a priority for the Browns in the 2027 draft. Isaiah McGuire has provided solid value, but he’s on an expiring contract. Alex Wright is on injured reserve with a torn Achilles tendon.
“Drafting an edge high makes sense so that they can get more help in the position room,” Duffin wrote. “Regardless of Verse succeeding or not, getting another edge that can produce is a need regardless of him staying or leaving after the 2027 season.”
There’s also the human side of the decision. If Cleveland declines Verse’s option while extension talks are still hanging out there, it risks sending the wrong message to a player it once made the centerpiece of the Garrett deal. And if the Browns did go that route, Verse would be playing for $2.8 million in 2027, according to Spotrac.
That’s why the more likely outcome still looks familiar: the Browns pick up the option before the May 1 deadline and then work toward a multi-year extension. If Verse has a down year in 2026, Cleveland might have some room to negotiate a cheaper number. But after investing in him as the key return in the Garrett trade, it’s hard to imagine the Browns backing away now.
Berry has been clear about the team’s timeline, and Verse is a big part of it. The bet is still on the Browns keeping him in the fold. But a few more impactful performances, including the home opener against Carolina, would go a long way toward calming the noise.
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