Myles Garrett is leaving Cleveland for Los Angeles in one of the offseason's biggest player moves, with the Browns sending their two-time Defensive Player of the Year to the Rams in exchange for linebacker Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, and additional draft assets.
The deal marks the culmination of months of tension between Garrett and the struggling franchise. After the Browns limped through 2024 with a 3-14 record, Garrett made clear he wanted out, requesting a trade rather than watch his prime years slip away with a losing team. Yet Cleveland responded by locking him up long-term, signing him to a four-year, $160 million extension that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league at the time.
That gamble failed spectacularly. The Browns finished 2025 just as miserably at 5-12, missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Garrett was the lone bright spot, earning All-Pro honors despite the team's collapse. The front office's handling of the situation, combined with the coaching change that brought in Todd Monken to replace Kevin Stefanski, appeared to accelerate the end game.
Garrett's resume speaks for itself. The 30-year-old edge rusher has accumulated 125.5 sacks, 413 pressures, and 149 tackles for loss since the Browns drafted him first overall in 2017. He has been named to the Pro Bowl seven times and won Defensive Player of the Year twice. Last season alone, he set a single-season sacks record with 23.
The Rams are banking on Garrett's elite production to push them over the hump in a competitive NFC landscape. Los Angeles came within one win of the Super Bowl after losing to Seattle in the NFC Championship Game, making a statement move for a difference-maker seem prudent. The franchise has history with aggressive trades to chase championships: they swapped Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford in 2021, and Stafford won the Super Bowl in his first year with the team.
Los Angeles will send Verse to Cleveland as its main piece coming back. The 25-year-old linebacker earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 after being selected in the first round of that draft. He made the Pro Bowl this season while posting 12 career sacks and 22 tackles for loss. For a Browns team in rebuild mode under new leadership, acquiring a young pass rusher with upside represents at least some compensation for losing their franchise defensive star.
The Super Bowl itself will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood next February, adding another layer of intrigue to the Rams' championship window. Garrett, now tasked with delivering on his search for a winning organization, will get his shot at a franchise committed to making a deep playoff run.
Author James Rodriguez: "The Rams are betting big that Garrett can be the final piece to get them back to the title game, but Cleveland's inability to keep a Hall of Fame talent speaks volumes about their organizational dysfunction."
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