In what will go down as one of the largest trades in league history involving a defensive player, the Cleveland Browns have agreed to send DE Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. Coming back the other way is pass rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 1st round pick, a 2028 2nd round pick, and a 2029 3rd round pick.
“We met with Myles on Saturday and told him we are extremely grateful for all that he contributed to our team and to our community and that he will always be a Cleveland Brown. We look forward to welcoming him back at the appropriate time and wish him and his family only the best,” Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslem said in a statement.
The deal came as a result of ongoing negotiations between the two clubs, as Los Angeles continued to up the offer until Cleveland finally relented in trading their all world defensive player. With this year’s Super Bowl set to take place in Los Angeles, and Rams QB Matthew Stafford nearing the end of his playing career, this serves as an “all in” move by the Rams front office.
“We recognize the unexpected nature of this trade, but it opens up great opportunities for our franchise,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome Jared into the organization, along with the cap flexibility and draft pick resources to deploy to the rest of the roster that will allow us to add to our budding core on both sides of the ball.”
For his part, Verse will step into an everyday role in Cleveland, as he prepares for a homecoming of sorts this season. Having been born in Dayton, Ohio, the 2x Pro Bowler is coming off his most productive season as a professional, and will be counted on to help fill the massive void left by Garrett’s departure.
Verse posted 7.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and 27 QB hits in 2025, while starting all 17 games for the Rams. A 6’4″, 265lbs edge rusher, Verse figures to play a longterm role in the Browns defensive scheme, while also coming with valuable draft capital for a team desperate to forge an identity in the always competitive AFC North.
Meanwhile, the NFL’s single season sack king will join fellow defensive standouts Byron Young, and Kobie Turner on the west coast. Garrett had a no trade clause built into his contract with the Browns which he agreed to waive in order to facilitate the deal. Part of that can likely be attributed to LA having a viable Super Bowl shot in 2026. However the fact that Garrett’s longtime girlfriend Chloe Kim lives in Southern California likely didn’t hurt the Rams negotiating power either.
In the wake of the trade announcement, LA’s Super Bowl odds shifted from 8-1 at most sports books, to 13-2 at some, and 6-1 at others. Whether the Rams will make good on that betting faith or not remains to be seen, but they’re the only team with less than 10-1 odds at most major outlets at the moment.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.