So much for a slow news day; the Cleveland Browns are finalizing a trade that will send Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams receive Garrett, while the Browns receive Jared Verse and a 2027 first-round pick in return. According to Adam Schefter, more compensation remains to be determined.
Wow.
This trade comes a little over a year after the Browns signed Garrett to a record-breaking contract extension. There were rumors that Garrett wanted out and was unhappy. That may have led to the Browns making an adjustment to Garrett’s contract, allowing him to be moved.
The trade doesn’t come as a surprise. The destination does. It feels like aggressive organizations are always rewarded, one way or another. This is true for the Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Philadelphia Eagles. I’d argue those three have been among the most aggressive in the NFC during this decade.
One of those teams doesn’t have any hardware to show for it, but that doesn’t mean the aggression wasn’t the right move at the time.
As far as the Rams, they’ll go from a defense that nobody feared to one with the best defensive player in football, with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson in the secondary. That’s a monumental facelift in a matter of months.
Week 1 just got a lot more difficult for the 49ers. The Rams were already listed as the team to beat. Adding a player of Garrett’s caliber only cements that thought.