The Cleveland Browns traded Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick.
That is the trade of the offseason. Not even close.
Myles Garrett is the best pass rusher in football. He just set the single-season sack record. He had 33 tackles for loss last season, the second-highest total in modern league history behind J.J. Watt’s 39 in 2012. He is 30 years old, coming off two Defensive Player of the Year awards in the past three seasons, and he is now the headliner of the Rams’ defense.
Why did Cleveland trade him? The simplest answer is they had to. Garrett wanted out. He had publicly said the franchise was not committed to winning. The Browns went 3-14 last season. Deshaun Watson is still on the books for cap-crippling money. The roster is in shambles. Garrett saw the future, and the future was a 4-13 season with no Super Bowl in sight.
The Rams jumped at the opportunity. Sean McVay and Les Snead have spent the last decade building championship-caliber rosters by paying premium prices for premium players. They never blink. They sent away their best young pass rusher in Jared Verse and three premium picks for a generational defensive talent. McVay has always operated like a man who knows his window. The window is open right now.
Pairing Garrett with the Rams’ interior defensive line is terrifying. Kobie Turner has emerged as one of the best interior pass rushers in the league. Braden Fiske had a strong rookie year. Add Garrett on the edge and offensive lines simply cannot account for everyone. Quarterbacks are going to be running for their lives in the NFC West.
Aaron Donald is retired, but his post on social media after the trade turned heads. A vague, smiling photo with a Rams cap. Was it a hint? Donald has insisted he is done. He is 35 years old and has been retired for a year. He has no real reason to come back. But the timing of the post was unusual. People are talking.
If Donald does come back, the Rams are immediately the Super Bowl favorites. The defense becomes historically dominant. That is a fan fantasy scenario for now. The real story is the Garrett trade itself.
For the Browns, this is a salary cap rebuild. Cleveland gets Jared Verse, who is a quality young player on a rookie contract. They get three picks that can be used to keep restocking the roster. Andrew Berry has to find ways to acquire talent without burning through cap space, and trading Garrett gives him relief on both fronts.
Garrett wins. The Rams win. The Browns lose, but the loss was inevitable. The trade was the right move for both sides given the circumstances.
The NFL is more interesting today than it was yesterday. That is what blockbuster trades are supposed to do.
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.
