Myles Garrett’s move to Los Angeles came with more than a fresh start. It also came with a significant contract adjustment from the Rams.
The Rams and Garrett reworked his contract following the blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns, with the star pass-rusher set to make $204 million over five years. The agreement includes a $35.7 million signing bonus and runs through 2038, although many of those added years are expected to be void years for salary-cap purposes.
The deal was initially reported as a new contract, but NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport later clarified that it was a rework of Garrett’s existing deal.
“The Rams and star edge Myles Garrett did not agree on a new deal. Instead, they did rework his contract that pays him $204 million over 5 years – essentially what he was making. The average per year and term remain the same as his deal was in Cleveland,” Rapoport said. “The alteration allowed the Rams to onboard Myles and his record setting deal, moving the vesting date of his guarantees back a few months.”
Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Browns last offseason after previously requesting a trade. That deal included a no-trade clause, which Garrett had to waive to finalize his move to Los Angeles.
The Rams sent Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a conditional 2029 third-round pick to Cleveland in the trade.
Myles Garrett Wanted Chance to Compete With Rams
Garrett’s move to Los Angeles gives him the opportunity he had been seeking. He made the postseason just twice during his nine seasons in Cleveland. He was the face of the Browns’ defense, won two Defensive Player of the Year awards and set the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23 sacks last season. But team success was never there.
“It was a surprise, it was a bit of excitement,” Garrett said during his introductory press conference. “Being in LA, I have a lot of roots here. And knowing that there’s a winning culture, and great teammates and great coaches here, I was definitely looking forward to the opportunity.
“To be a winner now, to have an opportunity to do that immediately, that was ultimately too difficult to pass up. The opportunity to come here, to have an immediate and profound impact on this team, it was just something I had to move forward with.”
Garrett joins a Rams team built to contend, with recent Super Bowl experience under Sean McVay. The move also gives Garrett a chance to add to a resume that already puts him among the top defensive players of his generation.
“I see a position to solidify myself here as well among the very greats,” Garrett said. “I still have plenty of great years in front of me. And being able to cement that legacy not only as a football city here in L.A., but as an individual in winning DPOY and a Super Bowl or more, those things are definitely pressing on my mind, and I have a definite bit of urgency to do it and do it right away.”
Jared Verse Not Trying to Replace Myles Garrett With Browns
On the other side of things, Verse was the centerpiece of the Browns’ return for Garrett. It gives Cleveland a young, proven edge rusher to help reshape the defense. But Verse and the Browns are not treating the move as a one-for-one replacement.
“Myles he’s a size 13, Nikes, whatever they are. I’m a size 13.5, size 14 Jordans. I’m not here to fill his shoes — I’m here to bring my own,” Verse said Wednesday after his first practice with the Browns.
Verse said the Browns’ insistence on making him a central part of the Myles Garrett trade helped soften the blow of leaving Los Angeles.
“To know that this wasn’t going to go through if I wasn’t a part of it, it’s good to know that,” Verse said. “That was probably the biggest fact that brought some sunshine into this whole situation for me, I saw that, I was like, ‘Yeah, they want me.’ It was cool to know that.”
Verse had 4.5 sacks as a rookie in 2024, when he was named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. He followed that with 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles last season.
Ex-Browns Star Myles Garrett Lands Head-Turning Deal After Trade