In an offseason of big swings, the Rams took their biggest yet on Monday, trading for All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed.
In exchange, the Rams sent former first-round outside linebacker Jared Verse, a future first-round pick and more, according to reports.
The Rams felt like they missed a closer on their defense during last year’s run to the NFC championship game. With Garrett, they appear to have found one. A two-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time first-team All-Pro, Garrett just last season set the NFL single-season record with 23 sacks.
In his nine-year career after being the No. 1 overall pick out of Texas A&M in 2017, Garrett has totaled 125.5 sacks, 23 forced fumbles and 149 tackles for loss.
The price to acquire Garrett doesn’t look cheap. The Rams have been big believers in Verse since selecting him with the 18th overall pick in the 2024 draft. He rewarded that faith by winning Defensive Rookie of the Year that season. But he was inconsistent in his second season as he dealt with more attention from opposing offenses with chip blocks and double-teams.
Still, the Rams saw Verse as a centerpiece for their defense for years to come, with a pass rush built around him and Day 2 picks Kobie Turner, Byron Young and Braden Fiske.
Now, however, that responsibility will likely go to Garrett, who won Defensive Player of the Year in 2025 after his record-breaking performance.
Garrett, 30, is the latest in a line of marquee acquisitions the Rams have made this off-season to remake their defense. They traded four picks including the No. 29 selection in April’s draft to the Kansas City Chiefs for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, then signed McDuffie’s former battery mate Jaylen Watson in the opening hours of free agency.
But neither have the gravitas or gravity of Garrett, one of the few in the NFL that compare to former Ram Aaron Donald in terms of how much his presence will suck up the time of opposing offensive coordinators as they game plan. Garrett sometimes faces double- and triple-teams on 75% of snaps any given week.
But despite that attention in Cleveland, Garrett still won his reps with a 24.6% pass-rush win rate in 2025, second in the NFL per Pro Football Focus. If Garrett can win at a similar rate while taking away attention from Young, Turner and Fiske, the Rams figure to have one of the most formidable pass rushes in the NFL.
When the Rams selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round of April’s draft, the feeling in the organization was that having their quarterback of the future would free them up to trade future picks. Both in pursuit of a second Super Bowl since moving back to Los Angeles, and in hopes of maximizing Matthew Stafford’s window after the 38-year-old quarterback’s MVP campaign in 2025.
Now as they finalize terms with the Browns, the Rams have made it clear: No less than a Super Bowl will do in 2026.