The word “blockbuster” is too often tossed around in the NFL because, well, clicks. But Monday has brought a truly BLOCKBUSTER trade because the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams have agreed to a deal that would send generational pass rusher Myles Garrett to the Rams for Pro Bowl pass rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder and more.
So pick your adjective:
Blockbuster.
Bombshell.
Stunner.
“Nothing is final at this point,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry told reporters during a break in the Cleveland Browns Foundation’s 26th annual golf tournament. “We are in discussions of a potential transaction including [Garrett]. We’ll have a lot more to say about it once it is final, if it does become final, and I’ll discuss the details at that point, but, you know, we are in negotiations.
“We’re hopeful we close something here in the next several hours.”
That was mere minutes before the two teams agreed to the deal.
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The only way it falls through now is if either of the players involved declines to report to their new team or if either fails his physical — something that happened earlier this year with accomplished pass rusher Maxx Crosby’s trade to the Baltimore Ravens.
Barring that … Wow!
This is the Rams adding the crowning piece to an offseason in which they have shown they’re making a Super Bowl push in 2026.
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The team traded with the Kansas City Chiefs for Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie, added the Chiefs’ other starting cornerback Jaylen Watson in free agency, and drafted quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round of the draft.
The Simpson addition will not necessarily help the team this season but gave the Rams confidence to pull off the Garrett deal because they have a young quarterback on the roster should starter Matthew Stafford retire after 2026.
Stafford announced he was returning for 2026 after he won the Most Valuable Player award for last season but, at age 38, his prospects are gauged season-to-season. So having a viable new starter in Simpson for 2027 was important to Los Angeles in including the 2027 first-round pick in the trade for Garrett.
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Did you know Garrett is an NFL Defensive Player of the Year — twice?
Did you know that Garrett holds the NFL record for most sacks in a season? In 2025, he produced 23 sacks, breaking the NFL’s single-season record and accomplishing something even Hall of Fame pass rushers such as Reggie White, Lawrence Taylor and Bruce Smith never did.
Before that, Garrett combined multiple seasons of 14-plus sack seasons that leave him as the Browns’ leader in that category with 123.5 and led him to All-Pro status five times.
So, yes, Garrett has built a résumé that places him among the most dominant edge rushers in NFL history.
Verse, meanwhile, is no slouch.
Entering his third NFL season at age 25, Verse has already established himself as one of the league’s premier edge rushers because he impacts games far beyond traditional sack numbers. As a rookie in 2024, he won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award after recording 66 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an NFL rookie-leading 77 pressures, demonstrating an ability to disrupt offenses on every down.
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He followed that up in 2025 with 58 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles, earning a second consecutive Pro Bowl selection. More importantly, Verse developed into one of the league’s most disruptive pass rushers, finishing with 100 quarterback pressures, the second-most in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
This trade gives the Browns two first-round picks in 2027, a draft they deeply value for its expected available talent. They are a team looking to the future.
The Rams, meanwhile, are looking to win a Super Bowl this coming season.
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