By JOE REEDY and GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writers
The Cleveland Browns are trading two-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster deal, three people briefed on the move told The Associated Press on Monday.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been finalized.
The Browns will acquire pass rusher and linebacker Jared Verse — the 2024 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year — a 2027 first-round selection and other draft picks that are still being worked out.
Garrett has not been seen at the team 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.
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. However, Garrett has been frustrated with the Browns’ direction over the past couple of seasons.
Cleveland is 8-26 the past two years after making the playoffs in 2023.
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, which meant that Garrett had the final say in his future destination.
However, Garrett’s frustration with the team’s direction remained high even after the extension.
In March, the Browns and Garrett agreed to modify the contract and defer option payments over the 2026-28 seasons. The first payment of around $10 million was due on May 28, but was moved to near the start of the regular season.
“I’m committed to winning, and as long as the team (and) organization are doing so and they’re committed to that same thing, then I’m all on board. But if we’re thinking anything other than winning — tanking or rebuilding, that’s not me,” Garrett said on Jan. 2 before Cleveland’s regular-season finale against Cincinnati.
Monken is the seventh coach hired by Dee and Jimmy Haslam since they bought the franchise in 2012. The previous six coaches under the Haslams have compiled a 73-139-1 regular-season record, the second-worst mark in the NFL. The Browns have had just four winning seasons since returning to the NFL in 1999.
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 ½ sacks while being selected as the NFL’s top defensive rookie in 2024, and he had 7 ½ 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.
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AP Pro Football writer Rob Maaddi also contributed to this story.
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