Myles Garrett Traded to Los Angeles Rams in Blockbuster Surprise

The Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams have agreed on a blockbuster trade.

Aug 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) leaves the field before the game between the Browns and the Los Angeles Rams at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns have traded superstar defensive end Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams.

While the trade is yet to be finalized, the Browns are expected to receive at lease one first-round draft pick in the deal and Rams pass rusher Jared Verse.

Andrew Berry and Les Snead are two of the most aggressive general managers in the NFL, working out a blockbuster trade that fits the timeline of both organizations. 

The likelihood of the Browns moving on from Garrett increased throughout the offseason. Before last year ended, Garrett reminded reporters in Berea that he was committed to Cleveland as long as the focus was on winning a championship. The Browns decided to hire Todd Monken as the organization’s next head coach instead of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who Garrett recommended. 

Since then, Garrett hasn’t been in Berea and never met the new coaching staff before the trade.

This trade became possible at the end of March, when Berry reworked Garrett’s deal to push his annual option bonuses until seven days before the regular season. Moving this date gave the Browns ultimate control of their roster flexibility, making it easier for Berry to trade Garrett following the NFL Draft.

Last offseason, Garrett released a public trade request following Cleveland’s three-win season. He stated a desire to win the Super Bowl as the reason why he was requesting the trade. Berry held firm against trading Garrett, who blasted the organization at Super Bowl week’s radio row. 

The trade request was dropped when the Browns handed Garrett a four-year extension worth $160 million, making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time of signing. But before that extension even kicks in, Garrett will be heading to Los Angeles, firmly in a Super Bowl window with the Rams.

How the trade went down

After the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, but before the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, the NFL world descended on Arizona for the annual league owner’s meetings.

One of the hot topics was Berry’s proposal that would’ve allowed teams to trade draft picks five years into the future. Rams head coach Sean McVay publicly opposed the idea, but stated that he commended Berry for the courage to propose an exotic rule change and understood the reasoning behind it. Following McVay’s proclamation, the Browns rescinded the proposal, stating that it served the intended purpose to start a dialogue about changing the rule.

According to Yahoo!’s Jori Epstein, when the Rams drafted Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam proclaimed that Berry knew about that selection weeks ago. This indicates that the two teams had been in conversations leading up to the NFL Draft.

As Garrett blasted the Browns on radio row, he mentioned Cleveland’s lack of solution at quarterback. Going into the 2026 campaign, the Browns still don’t have an answer at quarterback, allowing Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders to compete for the starting job. With multiple first round picks in the next few drafts, the Browns will finally be equipped to find their own franchise quarterback. 

As Garrett heads to Los Angeles, Berry’s Browns will have a renewed opportunity to focus on Monken’s rebuild with players that fit Cleveland’s timeline.