Browns, Rams agree to Myles Garrett blockbuster trade
The Cleveland Browns have agreed to trade two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for pass rusher Jared Verse and multiple draft picks. Cleveland will receive a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick, ESPN reported, in what is expected to be one of the largest defensive trades in NFL history.
The Rams, who made a similar blockbuster move in 2021 for quarterback Matthew Stafford en route to a Super Bowl win, are once again going all in with Super Bowl LXI set for SoFi Stadium.
Interest in Garrett picked up after Cleveland adjusted his contract in March, moving option bonuses closer to the season and making a trade easier to structure. The Browns initially insisted he was not available and told the Rams as much, but Los Angeles kept pushing as the only team actively trying to acquire him.
Talks escalated after the draft. The Rams first offered draft picks, but Cleveland held firm and demanded Jared Verse be included. Verse, a 2024 first-round pick, has 12 sacks and 22 tackles for loss over his first two seasons. Los Angeles initially resisted moving him, but eventually agreed as part of a revised package of picks.
The Browns are expected to gain both long-term value and financial flexibility, including an estimated $30 million in cash savings, while adding a younger, cheaper player in Verse, who cannot be extended until after this season. Cleveland now holds two first-round picks in 2027 and is projected to have 11 total selections that year, giving it significant draft capital to maneuver.
Garrett, 30, is coming off a season in which he set the NFL’s all-time single-season sack record and is widely viewed as the league’s best defensive player. He is under contract through 2030 on a four-year, $160 million extension signed last offseason and included a rare no-trade clause, which he is waiving for this deal.
Los Angeles now has Garrett alongside a defensive core that includes Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Verse, all of whom are in line for major contracts. Verse’s inclusion also marks a homecoming, as he was born in Dayton, Ohio.
Garrett spent part of the offseason in Korea and Japan, remained in contact with the Browns, but did not take part in team activities or meet new head coach Todd Monken. He had requested a trade a year earlier before signing his extension, which included $123 million guaranteed.
The Rams have also added cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, and sportsbooks quickly reacted, moving Los Angeles from 8-1 to 13-2 to win the Super Bowl. The Rams are now among the NFC favorites and even-money leaders in the NFC West.
The deal reflects a broader league trend of aggressive roster moves, including the Cowboys trading Micah Parsons to the Packers for two first-round picks and Kenny Clark, the Jets sending Sauce Gardner to the Colts for two firsts and Adonai Mitchell, and the Raiders dealing Maxx Crosby to the Ravens in a trade that was later voided after a failed physical.
