Rams Rookie Jared Verse Takes Shot at Philadelphia Eagles Fans

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Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse.

It’s not the playoffs and it’s not the NFL without a certain amount of hatred between opposing players and fans. In the case of Los Angeles Rams superstar rookie Jared Verse, he may have just engendered an entire career’s worth of vitriol every time he steps foot in Philadelphia.

Verse, an outside linebacker and the only rookie defensive player to make the Pro Bowl, lit into Philadelphia Eagles fans before his team traveled to Philly to face the Eagles on Sunday in the NFC Divisional Round.

“I hate Eagles fans … they’re so annoying,” Verse told Gary Klein of The Los Angeles Times. “When I see that green and white I hate it. I actually get upset. Like I actually genuinely get hot.”

Verse and the Rams — like a lot of their home games at SoFi Stadium — were treated like the road team when the Eagles visited Los Angeles and handed the Rams a 37-20 loss in Week 12 in which Eagles fans seemed like the vocal majority … if not the actual majority.

Adding even more intrigue into the mix? Verse is a Pennsylvania native who grew up in Bloomsburg, just 2 hours from Philadelphia.

Verse Unique and Dominant Draft Pick for Rams

The reason why the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Verse decided to talk trash to the most abrasive fan base in professional sports is probably pretty simple — he can back it up.

Verse was selected in the first round (No. 19 overall) in the 2024 NFL draft out of Florida State and represented the first time the Rams had a first round pick since 2016, when they took quarterback Jared Goff at No. 1 overall. The 7 seasons without a first round pick was tied with the Washington Commanders (1984 to 1990) for the longest streak in NFL history.

Verse started his college career at Albany, an FCS school, and ended it as a 2-time All-American with the Seminoles, where he had 18.0 sacks in 2 seasons.

As a rookie with the Rams, Verse had 66 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 18 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 11 TFL. According to VegasInsider.com, he’s also the odds-on betting favorite to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

In the Rams’ upset win over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card Round, Verse had a 57-yard fumble return for a touchdown and the Rams set an NFL record with 9 sacks.

Rams Defense Struggled to Stop Barkley

Verse’s anger toward Philly fans might also come from the fact that playing the Eagles was a pretty unpleasant experience for the Rams defense — mainly because of NFL All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley.

Even in a season where he dominated from start to finish and became just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season, Barkley was never more dominant than when he took the field against the Rams.

In his trip to L.A., Barkley had 26 carries for 255 yards and 2 touchdown — an average of 9.8 yards per carry — to go with 4 receptions for 47 yards.

Verse hasn’t had a sack since a Week 10 win over the Miami Dolphins and had 7 tackles in the loss to the Eagles.