Browns trade 2-time AP Defensive
Player of the Year Myles Garrett to Rams
[June 02, 2026]
By JOE REEDY and GREG BEACHAM
Myles Garrett finally got his wish — to be a part of a consistent
winning team instead of one in perpetual rebuilding.
The Cleveland Browns traded the two-time AP NFL Defensive Player of
the Year to the Los Angeles Rams for pass rusher Jared Verse and
three draft picks in a blockbuster deal on Monday.
Garrett was the unanimous choice for Defensive Player of the Year
last season after he had 23 sacks and broke the NFL single-season
record. He is expected to report to the Rams' facility on Tuesday
and have a news conference to discuss the trade.
Garrett's addition marks the first time the reigning AP NFL MVP and
Defensive Player of the Year will be teammates. Rams quarterback
Matthew Stafford won his first MVP award last season.
General manager Andrew Berry was able to make a deal after the
Browns and Garrett agreed to modify the contract and defer option
payments over the 2026-28 seasons in March. The first payment of
around $10 million was due on March 28, but was moved to near the
start of the regular season.
Garrett demanded a trade at the end of the 2024 season, but signed a
four-year contract extension last March with a total value of $204.8
million that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL
history. The contract also included a no-trade clause.
Berry had long said that Garrett would play his entire career in
Cleveland, but Garrett's lingering frustrations over the franchise's
direction and the chance to start anew meant it was time to move on.
Cleveland is 8-26 the past two years after making the playoffs in
2023.
“As discussions intensified we were stuck at a legitimate
crossroads: do we hold on to a truly generational player who has
become the identity of our team, or do we make the difficult
decision that we think is best for the organization over the long
run?," Berry said after the trade was announced.
The Browns get Verse — the 2024 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
— a 2027 first-round selection, a second-round pick in 2028 and a
2029 third-round selection.
Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement that they met with
Garrett on Saturday to discuss the trade.
“Trading Myles was never our intent, but we also recognize that
certain opportunities demand serious consideration, and we believe
this is the right move for our team. Adding a young defensive star
like Jared Verse, along with valuable draft assets, are necessary to
strengthen a talented young core and align with the youth of our
team,” the Haslams said.
Garrett was not seen at the Browns' facility during offseason
workouts even though he made a couple of visits to Cleveland during
the Cavaliers' NBA playoff run. Garrett has a minority stake in the
Cavaliers.
Coach Todd Monken said two weeks ago he had not had a face-to-face
meeting with Garrett since being hired in late January. Defensive
coordinator Mike Rutenberg said last week he had some conversations
over the phone with Garrett about the direction of the defense.
Garrett supported defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz being promoted
to head coach before ownership opted for Monken. Schwartz ended up
resigning after three years in Cleveland.
The 30-year old Garrett is the first player in NFL history with at
least 12 sacks in six consecutive seasons (2020-25) and the only
player with double-digit sacks each of the past eight years. His
125˝ career sacks are tied for 20th on the league list.
Garrett, who was part of five double-digit losing seasons during his
nine years in Cleveland, finally gets a chance to contend for a
Super Bowl title.
“Nine years. It’s hard to put into words what that really means when
so much of your life has been shaped in one place, around one team,
and with one community behind you ... Cleveland made me tougher. You
challenged me. You taught me about perseverance, about showing up
even when things aren’t easy, and what loyalty really looks like.
Through the highs, lows, setbacks, injuries, expectations, inclement
weather, and difficult seasons, you all kept showing up. I never
took that for granted,” Garrett said in a social media post Monday
night addressed “To Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, and every Browns
fan.”
[to top of second column] |
This photo combination shows Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles
Garrett, left, in Cincinnati, Jan. 4, 2026, and Los Angeles Rams
linebacker Jared Verse, Jan. 4, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP
Photo/David Dermer, Mark J. Terrill)
The Browns have the sixth-lowest win percentage
since 2017 and are 58-90-1. By comparison, the Rams have the
fifth-best record over that span at 92-57, including seven playoff
appearances and a Super Bowl title in 2021.
The trade also elevated the Rams to Super Bowl favorites.
Another huge trade by Rams
The trade is yet another blockbuster deal swung by Rams general
manager Les Snead, whose eagerness to use his draft picks in trades
for star veterans has kept the Rams among the NFL’s top teams during
coach Sean McVay’s decade on the sideline.
Snead notably acquired star cornerback Jalen Ramsey from
Jacksonville in 2019 in a deal that included two first-round picks,
securing the cornerstone of the secondary for a team that won a
Super Bowl. But the Rams only won it all after they acquired Matthew
Stafford in early 2021 in an even bigger trade for Jared Goff and
two first-round picks.
Just a couple of months ago, Snead acquired star cornerback Trent
McDuffie from Kansas City in a deal for four draft picks, including
a first-rounder, to rebuild the secondary that was the weak link of
last season’s team.
Before Snead shocked the NFL by picking quarterback Ty Simpson this
spring, the Rams had made only one first-round selection over the
previous nine years. That pick was Verse, who quickly became a star
during his two seasons as the anchor of the Rams’ rebuilt pass rush
in the wake of Aaron Donald’s retirement.
Verse had 4˝ sacks while being selected as the NFL’s top defensive
rookie in 2024, and he had 7˝ sacks last season along with three
forced fumbles. Byron Young led the Rams with 12 sacks and interior
lineman Kobie Turner contributed seven sacks, and both young stars
are heading into the final year of their rookie contracts.
With his Rams in title contention in November 2021, Snead acquired
vaunted pass rusher Von Miller from Denver in a trade for LA’s
second- and third-round picks. Miller contributed nine sacks in 12
games, providing exactly what they needed alongside Donald to win it
all.
The current Rams are among the preseason Super Bowl favorites after
winning 12 games and reaching the NFC championship game last season.
Stafford, the reigning league MVP, is returning at the head of the
NFL’s most potent offense last season along with a retooled defense
featuring McDuffie and fellow ex-Kansas City star Jaylen Watson as
its new cornerbacks — and now they’ve added the most feared pass
rusher in the league.
The Rams’ roster in 2026 now includes last season’s NFL leads in
yards passing, TD passes, total receptions (Puka Nacua), receiving
touchdowns (Davante Adams) and sacks (Garrett).
After the Rams won the Super Bowl in February 2022 and then crashed
out of the playoff picture in an injury-filled 2022-23 season, Snead
briefly discarded his usual draft philosophy. He rebuilt his roster
through a series of key selections in 2023 and 2024, drafting an
entirely new defensive line with Verse, Young, Turner and Braden
Fiske — along with All-Pro receiver Nacua.
With his rebuilt roster looming as a Super Bowl favorite again,
Snead used his depth on the defensive line to make it even better.
Verse's acquisition gives the Browns the past two AP Defensive
Rookies of the Year. Carson Schwesinger won last season after
leading NFL rookies with 156 tackles and 11 tackles for loss.
“We receive a young, elite player at a premium position who will
only continue to improve in his third NFL season. Jared’s passion
and relentless style of play will be embraced by our fans. He will
fit right in with the established identity of our defense,” Berry
said.
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AP Pro Football writer Rob Maaddi also contributed to this story.
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