Rams acquire Myles Garrett for Jared Verse and draft picks in blockbuster trade

As if anyone needed a reminder, the Rams know how to go all-in.

Their no-fear approach and penchant for pulling off massive trades resulted in two previous Super Bowl appearances — and one Super Bowl title.

On Monday, with a clear eye toward playing in Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium, they did it again.

Having already built a Super Bowl-ready roster, Rams general manager Les Snead added another gigantic piece, acquiring defensive end Myles Garrett — the league’s defensive player of the year — in a deal with the Cleveland Browns for edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round pick and 2029 third-round pick.

In Garrett, 30, they add star power to a team already bursting with it.

Garrett is a nine-year veteran, five-time All-Pro and two-time defensive player of the year. Last season, he amassed a league-high 23 sacks, increasing his career total to 125½.

Garrett is scheduled to earn $31.5 million this season, according to Overthecap.com.

Verse, 25, was the 19th player chosen in the 2024 draft. He was the NFL defensive rookie of the year and last season and had 7½ sacks for a Rams team that advanced to the NFC championship before losing to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks.

Verse is scheduled to carry a salary-cap hit of $2.9 million this season, according to Overthecap, but is presumably in line for a massive contract extension.

“Thank you for everything LA,” Verse posted on Instagram.

“Thank you, Jared! Best of luck in Cleveland,” the Rams posted to X after the trade was announced.

The trade for Garrett is the second major offseason deal for the Rams. In March, they sent the No. 29 pick in the draft to the Kansas City Chiefs for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, and then signed him to an extension that makes him the highest paid player at his position in NFL history.

Even before the trade for Garrett, the Rams were regarded as a favorite to play in the Super Bowl.

But the deal harked to other major moves Snead has engineered since the Rams returned to Southern California from St. Louis in 2016.

Yes, we’ve seen this act before.

In 2018 — two years after Snead traded up 14 spots to draft quarterback Jared Goff No. 1 overall and a year after the Rams hired coach Sean McVay — Snead traded for cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib and signed defensive end Ndamukong Suh before trading for receiver Brandin Cooks. At the trade deadline, the Rams traded for edge rusher Dante Fowler. They advanced to Super Bowl LIII before losing to the New England Patriots.

In 2019, the Rams traded multiple first-round picks for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, giving them a back-end star to pair with Aaron Donald.

Two years later, they traded Goff and multiple first-round picks to the Detroit Lions for quarterback Matthew Stafford, and then bolstered their Super Bowl chances by signing free-agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and trading for edge rusher Von Miller.

The result: A Super Bowl LVI title won at SoFi Stadium.

Now, five years later, after an historic Super Bowl hangover and then seasons that ended with losses in the wild-card and NFC divisional rounds and the NFC championship, the Rams are primed for another expected Super Bowl appearance in the stadium owner Stan Kroenke built.

Stafford, at 38, is the reigning NFL most valuable player. The Rams recently signed him to a one-year, $55-million extension that ties him to the Rams through the 2027 season.

The offense also features receivers All-Pro Puka Nacua and future hall of famer Davante Adams, running back Kyren Williams and multiple tight ends that helped make the Rams the top-scoring team in the NFL last season.

The Rams addressed their biggest weakness by trading for McDuffie and signing cornerback Jaylen Watson, his former Chiefs teammate. They join a secondary that includes safeties Quentin Lake and Kamren Curl, both of whom signed extensions.

While Verse is an ascending star, the Rams have added a player in Garrett capable of taking over games in a way not seen by the franchise since Donald retired after the 2023 season.

Garrett joins a front that includes tackles Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford and edge rusher Byron Young, who was voted to the Pro Bowl last season.

That unit should take pressure off a rebuilt secondary and enable McDuffie and others to make plays that were missing in last season’s losses to the Seahawks.

So the Rams, once again, are clearly built for another Super Bowl run and a boom or bust season.

It begins on Sept. 10 against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.

The Rams are betting that Garrett is the piece that ensures it ends in the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium.