WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams have never been afraid to make bold moves.
From trading for Matthew Stafford to acquiring Jalen Ramsey and Von Miller during their Super Bowl run, general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have built a reputation for aggressively pursuing elite talent when championship opportunities arise.
On Tuesday, the Rams officially introduced the latest—and perhaps most impactful—addition to that lineage: seven-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Myles Garrett.
Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and one of the most dominant pass rushers of his generation, arrived in Los Angeles following a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns that sent reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick to Cleveland.
The move immediately elevated the Rams among the favorites to win Super Bowl LXI, which will be played in February at SoFi Stadium.
“We're very excited and I want to thank Sean, Les and the Kroenke family for making this happen,” Garrett said during his introductory press conference. “It's an honor and a blessing to be in this building. I have a lot of respect for all the guys here from the coaching staff, management and many of the players that I've got to see firsthand. It's a very quality team, quality business and I like the way things operate and I'm looking forward to helping bring a championship here to L.A.”
The trade was months in the making.
Snead revealed that he first reached out to Browns general manager Andrew Berry after Cleveland adjusted Garrett's contract earlier this offseason. Initial inquiries were rebuffed, but conversations continued through the NFL Draft and into May.
“At first they were a no,” Snead said. “He's a Cleveland Brown. He's on their Mount Rushmore.”
Eventually, the Browns' asking price centered on Verse, the Rams' rising young star. For weeks, Los Angeles resisted. But with June 1 approaching and negotiations intensifying, the Rams ultimately decided the opportunity to acquire Garrett was too significant to pass up.
McVay acknowledged that surrendering Verse was the most difficult part of the deal.
“To be able to get something great, unfortunately, we had to give up something great,” McVay said. “That was the hardest part of this decision.”
The Rams believe Garrett's presence can transform an already talented defense featuring Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Jaylen Watson, Trent McDuffie and Poona Ford.
McVay pointed not only to Garrett's production but also his reputation as a teammate.
“One of my favorite things I saw about this guy was when he gets the sack record, it wasn't the fact that he got his 23rd sack,” McVay said. “Watch the teammates celebrate and how happy they were around him. That tells me a lot about him.”
Garrett arrives in Los Angeles with 112 career sacks and a reputation as one of the league's most feared defenders. Yet despite joining a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, he dismissed the notion that the Rams' lofty expectations add any extra pressure.
“That's always been my role since I stepped foot into the NFL,” Garrett said. “Nothing changes for me. As long as I'm myself and I come here to work every day and I'm a leader, the success will follow.”
Winning, Garrett said, was ultimately the deciding factor in waiving his no-trade clause.
“Since the very beginning it's always been about winning,” Garrett said. “What does it realistically look like to be a winner now and have an opportunity to do that immediately? That was an opportunity that was just too difficult to pass up.”
The opportunity to play alongside quarterback Matthew Stafford and for an organization that has reached the postseason in five of the last six seasons was equally appealing.
“That did play into the decision as well,” Garrett said when discussing the Rams' offense. “Knowing I'll have the ability late in games to pin my ears back because we have the lead and it's obvious passing downs. Being able to make plays to win the game for us, those are things that appeal to me.”
Garrett's ties to Los Angeles also made the transition easier. His father is from Los Angeles, and his girlfriend, Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim, is a Southern California native.
Still, Garrett admitted leaving Cleveland wasn't easy.
“I definitely had to sleep on it,” Garrett said. “I did love being there. My family had become really a part of the community. But that's just a part of the things you learn and you have to adjust as you grow up and learn that you have to move on.”
The excitement surrounding Garrett's arrival has already sparked dreams among Rams fans of another championship run and even prompted questions about whether retired Rams legend Aaron Donald might consider returning.
McVay laughed at the suggestion but didn't completely dismiss it.
“If Aaron decides he wants to dust them off at the age of 35, I bet you he could still do it at a pretty high clip,” McVay joked.
For now, the Rams are focused on integrating Garrett into a defense they believe can be among the NFL's best.
Garrett, meanwhile, already has his eyes on adding his name to the long list of legendary pass rushers who have worn a Rams uniform.
“I still have plenty of great years in front of me,” Garrett said. “Being able to cement that legacy not only as a football city here in L.A., but as an individual for a Super Bowl and more. Those things are definitely pressing on my mind and I have a bit of urgency to do it and do it right away.”
For a Rams franchise that has built its recent success on aggressive swings and championship ambition, Garrett represents the latest—and biggest—bet that another Lombardi Trophy could soon be headed to Los Angeles.