Early winners and losers of Rams' Myles Garrett blockbuster

While the NFL world patiently waited for the official announcement that Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown had been traded, general manager Les Snead and the Los Angeles Rams snuck in and tilted the league on its axis.

On Monday, the Rams flipped outside linebacker Jared Verse and a haul of draft picks for Browns superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett. Garrett, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in two of the last three seasons and earner of six-straight All-Pro honors, is now headed to Los Angeles.

The Rams, of course, become Super Bowl frontrunners after the latest example of Snead's "F--- them picks" mentality. But before we get too far down the line, let's take a look at some immediate winners and losers of this NFL-altering deal.

The Winners

Myles Garrett: Not only does Garrett get to move from snowy Cleveland, Ohio, to sunny Los Angeles, California, he also gets to play meaningful winter football again. He hadn't done so in quite some time with the Browns, and it didn't look like he was going to in the near future, either. Garrett is the missing piece to this Super Bowl roster, and he could easily get a ring (or two or even three) out of this deal.

Byron Young and the rest of the Rams' defensive line: This young but talented group was already getting the job done in 2025. Now throw Garrett into the mix. Not only is he a certified game-changer, he will draw attention away from Young, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske. They can now run buck-wild while Garrett absorbs the bulk of opposing offensive coordinators' attention.

Les Snead: Snead secured the future by taking Ty Simpson in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Now he's shored up the present by acquiring Garrett, in addition to All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, this offseason. Snead has all his bases covered and all the job security in the world, as if that was ever in doubt. But now he has Garrett and another legitimate chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy once again.

Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford: Life was already pretty sweet for this pairing with the Rams' offensive weapons. But with the defensive help that Garrett immediately provides, the pressure is off the Los Angeles offense even more. Stafford and McVay can afford to make an occasional mistake.

Bad play call, poor throw, and an interception that puts the opposing offense in Rams territory? Boom. That was Garrett sacking the other team out of field-goal range. This is an Aaron Donald-level player who will alleviate pressure on the offense. And that's massive.

The City of Los Angeles: This year's Super Bowl will take place at SoFi Stadium. Now, not only will inhabitants of the City of Angels get to watch the NFL's best defensive player go to work for their favorite team every week, the Rams just massively increased their chances of getting to play in the league's biggest game in their home stadium. A Rams Super Bowl appearance at SoFi? With Garrett, it's even more possible.

The Losers

Jared Verse: Verse unfortunately had to fall on the sword for this deal to go through. Rams fans loved Verse and all his contributions through his first two NFL seasons. But his role would have been massively diminished with Garrett in town, anyway. At least he gets to return home to Ohio and hopefully be the star of a defense that will need tons of help. But it's a franchise downgrade for him.

2027 extension candidates: With Garrett's massive contract now on the books, it'll be harder to make all those would-be extendees fit under the salary cap. Snead and McVay will have to prioritize between Young, offensive lineman Steve Avila, receiver Puka Nacua and defensive tackle Kobie Turner. That is by no means an exhaustive account. The Rams simply can't afford to pay all their young players, especially now. What a good problem to have, though.

The NFC West: This team needed to make up divisional ground after watching the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl last year. Between Garrett and McDuffie, the Rams have more than done that. Their NFC West counterparts are probably sick to their stomachs right about now.

Seahawks, 49ers, and Cardinals fans just saw Garrett join what was arguably the league's most talented roster already. Well, it's a dog-eat-dog world. Better they be upset than Rams fans!

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