The Cleveland Browns have made the trade that completely reshapes the AFC and NFC contender landscape. Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett is heading to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster deal that sends Jared Verse and a haul of draft picks back to Cleveland.
The terms are massive. Cleveland gets Verse, the Rams’ 2024 first-round pick, plus a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick. The Rams get the best edge rusher in football and a chance to chase another Super Bowl with Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford.
This is the kind of trade that does not happen often. Teams typically do not move generational talents like Garrett, and contenders typically do not part with this much draft capital and a young, ascending player. Both sides made the call based on where they are in their respective windows.
The Rams targeted Garrett because they are in a championship window right now. Stafford is in the final stretch of his career. McVay has the team built to win immediately. Adding the most productive defensive player in the league to a roster that is already loaded gives Los Angeles the kind of front seven that can dominate January football.
The Browns, on the other hand, looked at the Garrett contract, looked at their salary cap, and looked at where the team is headed and decided this was the moment. Cleveland has been stuck in a cycle of expensive veterans and inconsistent results for years. Resetting around young talent and draft picks is the only path to long-term competitiveness, even if it hurts in the short term.
Garrett himself made the request. He has been clear publicly and privately that he wants to win a championship, and he did not see the Browns as the team to get him there. Cleveland tried to keep him initially but came around to the idea that trading him was the more responsible move.
Verse, 25, is the centerpiece of what Cleveland got back. He has 12 sacks and 22 tackles for loss over his first two seasons. He is one of the more ascending pass rushers in the league, and pairing him with the existing Browns defensive talent gives Cleveland a clear path forward.
Verse himself admitted that the trade caught him off guard. He told reporters he was initially upset by the move but is now excited to be part of a team “that believed in me.” That is the right thing to say publicly, and it sets up a productive transition for both sides.
For the Rams, the timing of this trade is fascinating. The team has been retooling on defense for two years, and now they have the centerpiece they have been missing. Garrett joins a roster that already has Aaron Donald rumors floating again, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, and other key contributors. The 2026 Rams are immediately a Super Bowl favorite.
The NFC West has gotten significantly harder. The Rams are now the team to beat. The 49ers are dealing with their own roster transitions. The Seahawks are trying to figure out their quarterback situation. The Cardinals are still in development mode. Los Angeles has positioned itself at the top of the division for at least the next two years.
The AFC implications are different but just as significant. The Browns are now firmly in rebuilding mode. The Bengals and Steelers are the established contenders in the AFC North. The Ravens are still the team to beat. Cleveland’s path back to relevance now runs through their draft picks and Verse development.
Garrett’s contract makes the trade even more interesting. His extension keeps him in Los Angeles through the next several years and locks in his role as the franchise centerpiece on defense. The Rams gave up a lot of future draft capital to make it work, but they got back a defensive cornerstone for the rest of the decade.
This trade is going to be debated for years. Cleveland got the value they should have gotten. Los Angeles paid what they had to pay. Garrett gets a real chance to win a championship. Everyone walks away with something they wanted, which is rare for a trade this big.
The 2026 season just got way more interesting.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
