With today marking the official start of the new NFL league year, a blockbuster deal has set the tone. The Cleveland Browns have agreed to send star DE Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This marks the latest league-altering trade and is one of the biggest deals centered around a defensive player in NFL history.
Trade Details & Grades:
Full Trade:
- Rams Get: Myles Garrett
- Browns Get: Jared Verse, 2027 first-round pick, 2028 second-round pick, 2029 third-round pick
Browns Grade: C+
Myles Garrett is a transcendent defensive talent, whom the Browns have never had the proper ecosystem to maximize his impact. Across his nine years in the NFL, Garret has earned seven Pro Bowl appearances, five All-Pro honors, and two Defensive Player of the Year awards. The 30-year-old has tallied 412 total tackles, 125.5 total sacks, 149 tackles for a loss, and six fumbles recovered across 134 games. Garret also broke the NFL’s single-season sack record last year with 23 quarterback takedowns in 17 games.
Cleveland finished with a 5-12 record last season and has not finished with a winning record since 2023. The Browns have finished with a winning record just twice throughout Garrett’s career. It is the right decision to move on from the superstar defensive talent, given the number of other holes that must be filled on the Browns’ roster. But this feels like an extremely mild trade return for the caliber of talent that Garrett is.
Jared Verse is a terrific defensive talent in his own right, who is coming off a Pro Bowl appearance in each of his first two seasons in the NFL and earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2024. But there is nowhere to go but down when it comes to replacing Garrett.
Rams Grade: A-
The Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021 and enter this season as the championship favorites at +650 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Los Angeles lost in the Wild Card round in 2023, the Divisional round in 2024, and in the Conference Championship last year. The Rams lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks last season, and pushed the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles to the limit more than any other team during the 2024 postseason.
Matthew Stafford’s days in the NFL are largely numbered as he prepares to enter his age-38 season. This is especially the case considering the Rams’ decision to draft Alabama QB Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft. But Stafford is coming off an MVP season last year, and still has a worthy case as one of the top quarterbacks in football. The three-time Pro Bowler is still capable of leading a high-powered offense.
The window to win in the NFL is narrow, and the Rams are clearly focused on maximizing their chances. While we oftentimes get caught up in future draft picks and the value of deals, it is the franchise’s responsibility to maximize the team’s chances of winning a Super Bowl. This is a clear swing in this direction.
Garrett is a one-of-one defensive talent, and it is entirely possible that he has not even played his best football yet, given the lack of talent that has been around him throughout his career. The former Browns’ star has not been shy to voice his frustrations with the rate of losing in Cleveland. While Los Angeles will need to eventually pay the price for the draft picks invested in this deal, all will be forgiven if they are able to win another Super Bowl right now. Give the Rams credit for doing everything they can to maximize their chances, and expect Garrett to be a difference-maker on their roster this year and moving forward.
