Myles Garrett, Los Angeles Rams
Getty
Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns warms up before a game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Los Angeles Rams have already made one blockbuster trade, keeping them near the top of the offseason power rankings. A move for Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett could position the Rams as the clear-cut Super Bowl favorite.
The Browns’ latest adjustment to Garrett’s contract has, by many accounts, made it easier for them to part ways with the reigning and two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
LA got a shoutout as a potentially strong trade destination in the fallout of the news.
Rams Floated as Myles Garrett Trade Destination
Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns
GettyMyles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns is introduced before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr mentioned the Rams in regards to a potential trade for Garrett following the Browns’ restructuring of the veteran’s $160 million contract, which pushed back some option payments until closer to the 2026 regular season.
Orr, like many others, noted that the decision gives the Browns more flexibility to trade Garrett, who was the No. 1 pick in 2017 and is a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time First Team All-Pro.
That is where the Rams could step in, assuming Garrett would waive his no-trade clause.
“The Rams are in a divisional arms race alongside the Seahawks and 49ers and their post-Stafford draft capital could be a curiosity to the Browns as a potential undervalued asset (Sean McVay will never be bad enough with [Matthew] Stafford to qualify for a top-10 quarterback and shows no interest in starting over with one anyway, leaving him dependent in the post-Stafford era on an increasingly less appetizing group of veteran reclamation projects),” Orr wrote on March 26, citing the Browns’ recent proposal regarding future draft picks.
“The Rams were so painfully close to a second Super Bowl under McVay last season and seem to be a team on the edge of massive sea change, both in terms of Stafford and the age of his surrounding skill-position players, and the looming potential combustibility of the Puka Nacua era.”
Nacua is facing a lawsuit over allegations of biting two women, and is in the final year of his rookie contract. Stafford is also in a contract year and turned 38 in February. Garrett has been prolific so far, and he has shown no signs of slowing down entering his age-31 season.
The Rams have Byron Young in the final year of his contract, and they could pair Garrett with 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse if they pulled off a trade.
Browns Make Stance on Myles Garrett Trade Clear
The Cleveland Browns made their stance clear on trading Myles Garrett.
GettyMyles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns reacts against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Orr noted that the Rams still have the 13th overall pick of the 2026 draft, giving them a potential anchor for a deal, but only if the Browns are willing participants.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter unequivocally shot the deal down.
“I called the Browns. I’m like, ‘What’s going on here?’ And they’re like, ‘We are 100%, definitely not trading him.’ I’m like, ‘Ok.’ Now I will say this: they were adamant about it. Adamant about it. And they’re like, ‘Don’t even bring it up and dignify the fact, because we’re not trading him,” Schefter said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on March 26.
“All I can say is that the Browns were adamant to me, ‘We are not trading Myles Garrett. This was not done to trade Myles Garrett. This was done to give us more cap flexibility.’ I’m just telling–and they couldn’t have been stronger about it. But that’s not going to discourage other people from wondering and speculating, could he be traded? And again, I’m just telling you, they told me, ‘No.’”
Rams Must Monitor Situation
Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay looks on during a game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Orr acknowledged that the adjustment was “most likely” done to “modernize the structure” of the contract, noting that Browns general manager Andrew Berry’s twin brother, Adam Berry, is the Philadelphia Eagles’ vice president and head of football operations and strategy.
The Eagles have frequently utilized similar structures. The Eagles have also been one of the most trade-happy teams. Despite the Browns’ reasoning, it also impacted Garrett’s tradeability.
That should pique the interest of every team, including the Rams, regarding a trade for Garrett.