The Los Angeles Rams paid a step price to acquire two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, sending Jared Verse and three future draft picks to the Cleveland Browns.
Verse, a two-time Pro Bowler and former Defensive Rookie of the Year, had been a bright spot on a young Rams defensive line that includes Braden Fiske and Byron Young, among others.
It’s a tight-knit group with each player being each other’s biggest supporters. And with Verse now heading to Cleveland, Fiske and Young visited him at his home to say goodbye and wish him well in the next chapter of his career, via Zac Jackson of The Athletic:
Jared Verse said Rams teammates Braden Fiske and Byron Young came to his house Monday after Verse was traded for support and formal goodbyes. Verse called them his best friends.
Verse: “After that I was like OK, it’s time to work.”
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) June 3, 2026
Verse and Fiske were particularly close as they played their college ball at Florida State and were selected by the Rams in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.
L.A. loved what Verse brought to the table and only would have moved him to land a player of Garrett’s caliber, who is widely considered the best defensive player in football.
Garrett will now look to help the Rams win another Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium while Verse gets to continue his development with the rebuilding Browns.
Sean McVay praises Jared Verse for how he handled trade news
It couldn’t have been easy for the Rams to tell Verse that he was being traded, and head coach Sean McVay shed some light on those discussions.
“We talked to him about the appreciation, the gratitude,” McVay said at the press conference for Garrett.” I think when you have to have those hard conversations, you just let him know. ‘We just executed a trade where we’re acquiring Myles Garrett and you’re going to Cleveland. I know it doesn’t feel great right now, but there’s a lot of love. There’s a lot of appreciation and gratitude for our relationship, the two years and the impact that you’ve made. I can’t wait to watch you go shine in Cleveland.’”
Many young players don’t experience the business side of things this early and that especially goes for someone like Verse who has experienced so much success. A trade like this can sometimes be hard for a player to accept, but McVay praised Verse for how he handled the news, even hoping his own kids handle future difficult situations the same way.
“I will say this, what a stud with the way that he handled it,” McVay added. I don’t want to say that I was surprised, but I was so impressed. When Jordan and Christian eventually go through a challenging conversation, I hope they handle it the way that Jared Verse did. I’m a big fan of his. I know you guys know that. I’ll wish him the best and watch him do his thing but we are really excited, with respect to Jared, about being able to get this guy. It’s a big deal for us.”
