The Rams were already viewed as Super Bowl contenders before today’s trade for Myles Garrett. Now they’ve separated themselves from the pack and become the clear betting favorites.
With Garrett in the fold, the Rams are now +600 favorites to win Super Bowl LXI, which will be played at the Rams’ home field, SoFi Stadium. Prior to the trade, the Rams’ odds were +850.
The Rams have separated themselves from the other top teams, according to the betting odds. The Bills and Ravens are now tied for the second-best chance to win the Super Bowl, at +1000, followed by the Seahaks at +1100, Chiefs at +1500 and Eagles, Patriots and Chargers, all at +1600.
The Rams are also +300 favorites to win the NFC Championship Game, an improvement from their +425 odds before trading for Garrett. The Rams are well ahead in the NFC odds, followed by the Seahawks at +550, Eagles at +820, Packers at +870, Lions at +900 and 49ers at +950.
And the Rams have moved from +145 to +100 favorites to win the NFC West, ahead of the Seahawks at +180, 49ers at +280 and Cardinals at +9000.
Garrett is the NFL’s reigning defensive player of the year, and there’s no question in bettors’ minds that he’s made the Rams even better.
Rams Clips
The Rams are back in “eff them picks” mode.
According to ESPNFL Network, the Rams will send three picks to the Browns for defensive end Myles Garrett, along with defensive end Jared Verse.
The picks consist of a 2027 first-rounder, a 2028 second-rounder, and a 2029 third-rounder.
Given that Verse was a 2024 first-round pick who panned out, that’s a massive haul for arguably the best defensive player in the NFL.
The Rams are obviously trying to close the small gap between themselves and the Seahawks at the top of the entire league, while the Browns will continue to build for a future that always seems to remain in the future. Given the young nucleus of talented players the Browns have been compiling, they could finally be moving in the right direction.
And here’s the key — by the time they get there, Garrett may have been beyond his prime years. And Verse, a two-time Pro Bowler and the 2024 NFL defensive rookie of the year, could be smack dab in the middle of his own.
Is Myles Garrett really headed to the Rams?
At this point, everything indicates the answer to that question is a resounding yes.
But the trade is not complete quite yet.
Browns General Manager Andrew Berry spoke to assembled media at the organization’s charity golf event on Monday, just after reports of the deal surfaced on social media.
“Real quick, obviously we wanted today to be about the Browns foundation and everything that we’re doing, the good work we’re doing there. Not naive that there’s a lot in the social media sphere, media sphere regarding Myles. Nothing is final at this point,” Berry said, via Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan. “We are in discussions of a potential transaction including him. I’ll have a lot more to say about it once it is final — if it does become final. And I’ll discuss the details at that point. But we are in negotiations. We’re hopeful that we close something here in the next several hours. But nothing is final right yet.
“Like I said, I’ll have an update for you guys maybe as soon as tomorrow when there’s resolution.”
Berry did not answer a couple of follow-up questions to his statement, noting that was all he had to say on the matter right now.
The fact that reports surfaced on social media is an indication that the deal is, as a practical matter, going to be executed. But it will not be completely official until compensation is agreed to and Garrett passes his physical.
There’s no reason to believe Garrett would not pass a physical at this point.
At present, reporting indicates the Browns will trade Garrett to the Rams in exchange for edge rusher a 2027 first-round pick, edge rusher Jared Verse, and additional draft compensation.
Yes, the arrival of June 1 could mean a trade of veterans other than A.J. Brown.
Per multiple reports, the Browns are trading defensive end Myles Garrett to the Rams. Cleveland will receive defensive end Jared Verse, a first-round pick, and more.
The deal will happen after 4:00 p.m. ET on Monday, allowing the Browns to divide the cap charge over two league years.
Yes, the Browns had said they won’t be trading Garrett. But words are merely words. The most significant action taken this offseason was the agreement to delay a $29.2 million option bonus from March until September.
Earlier in the day, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer planted a flag regarding a potential trade: "[I]t now seems as though there might be some fire where the smoke is coming from in regards to the possibility of Garrett being moved.” She cited the Rams, Cowboys, and Eagles are teams “rumored to have interest” in Garrett, “but nothing has been substantiated.”
It now has been.
The transaction would likely include a new deal for Garrett. When he signed his latest contract in 2025, he set a new bar with a new-money average of $40 million annually. That has since shot to $50 million, thanks to the Will Anderson Jr. deal in Houston.
Either way, the 2025 defensive player of the year will get what he has always wanted — a chance to compete for a Super Bowl run.
With the calendar flipped to June, there is more smoke around the possibility that the Browns could trade NFL sack king Myles Garrett.
Head coach Todd Monken noted recently that he had not yet spoken with Garrett since being hired in January. Garrett customarily does not attend Cleveland’s offseason program, but after he and the team agreed to modified language in his contract that makes it easier for the club to trade him, there’s reason to speculate that more could be going on here.
Monken was asked about Garrett and whether or not he’s been guaranteed the defensive end would be on the roster in 2026.
“No, I wasn’t assured that when I took the job,” Monken said, via Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan. “I was never assured of anything when I took the job, other than once I signed my contract, whatever my contract said — that’s what I was assured. No matter what, any of us coaches sign up for is we show up every day and we coach the guys in the building like we’ve done since we’ve been here. That hasn’t changed.
“He’s not [unlike] any other player. I’m never told who’s going to be on the team, who’s not going to be on the team,” Monken added. “If that’s a question, I mean, every day we evaluate the roster — Andrew [Berry] evaluates the roster, management evaluates the roster. And, like I said, he’s no different than any other player we’ve got. So, I don’t know how to respond to that, because it’s really no different today than it’s been for the last however many months I’ve been the head coach.”
Garrett, 30, requested a trade during the 2025 offseason before electing to re-sign with the Browns on a lucrative new deal. He then proceeded to set the single-season sack record at 23.0, winning his second AP defensive player of the year award in the last three seasons.
Not only did Garrett lead the league in sacks, but he was also No. 1 with 33 tackles for loss.
We’ll see if the speculation turns into a reality with a Garrett trade over the coming days.
They have to install playing surfaces that meet exacting standards. They have to change the names of the facilities. They have to shut down all other business (such as major concerts) for the duration of the World Cup.
Given the hoops through which the 11 NFL stadiums will have to jump in order to placate FIFA, it’s fair to ask whether it’s worth it.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe recently took a look at that question. Said an NFL official from a team that won’t be hosting any of the World Cup games, “I know more than a few teams weren’t disappointed to lose the bid.”
That could be sour grapes, because those who won the right to host the matches are crowing about it.
“Can’t sleep,” Cowboys owner and G.M. Jerry Jones said recently, per Volin. “This is a great chance to associate with the worldwide love with soccer, and lets us put a little notch on our belt and share it with what soccer’s about, too. They’ll never be able to take away that we held those games in that stadium.”
Cowboys executive Stephen Jones echoed the sentiment: “We’ll be shut down all summer. But it’s worth it. I mean, this is about brand and, you know, being a part of something special.”
The Joneses wanted to host the matches badly enough to give up their suite for the matches.
“I think I’ve got to go someplace else, but that was a part of it,” Jerry Jones said. “We did a lot of things to make this work.”
The Cowboys, Patriots, Falcons, Texans, Chargers/Rams, Giants/Jets, Chiefs, Seahawks, 49ers, Dolphins, and Eagles will be hosting World Cup games in their stadiums.
The total revenue is projected, per Volin, to be roughly $11 billion. FIFA will pay rent for the stadiums, while keeping the revenue from sponsorships, tickets, suites, merchandise, concessions, and parking.
So how much will the teams get for hosting the World Cup? Per Volin, the terms “have been kept under wraps.”
Given that folks like Jones are not known for doing bad deals, they’ll surely be making more money to host the World Cup matches than they would have made in a normal summer.
Still, it’s a headache. Extra work, extra expenses, extra hassles.
Not to mention the P.R. bruise that comes from the perception/reality that NFL owners who are giving FIFA the surfaces it demands while stubbornly refusing to do the same for pro football players.
The Rams signed second-round tight end Max Klare to his four-year rookie deal.
He is the third of the Rams’ five picks to sign, leaving only first-round quarterback Ty Simpson and seventh-round defensive tackle Tim Keenan III unsigned.
The Rams used the 61st overall pick on Klare, who played three seasons at Purdue before transferring to Ohio State.
He joins Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee and Terrance Ferguson in the tight ends room. The Rams used multiple tight ends on close to 40 percent of their plays last season.
Klare caught 51 passes for 685 yards with four touchdowns for the Boilermakers in 2024. He was a first-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2025 for the Buckeyes, totaling 43 receptions for 448 yards and two touchdowns.
In his 32 collegiate games, he caught 116 passes for 1,329 yards with six touchdowns.
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua’s trip to rehab was his major offseason storyline and he discussed that decision during a press conference from the team’s OTAs on Thursday.
If the need for Nacua to seek help had not developed, the main story of his offseason almost certainly would have been his contract. Nacua is in the final year of his rookie deal and his play over the last three seasons put him in line for a deal that would be at the top of the list for players at the position.
On Wednesday, Nacua was asked if he’s comfortable playing out the year without agreeing to a contract extension with the NFC West club.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” Nacua said. “I enjoy playing football. It’s the biggest dream come true. To be able to be out here and play for this organization specifically has been awesome. I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else. It’s been fun to be out here and be around these guys. Like I said, I’ll let all those things handle themselves.”
Seahawks wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba currently sits atop the receiver pay scale after signing an extension this offseason. Whether Nacua joins him with a new deal in the near future will likely hinge on how much the off-field issues of this offseason have impacted the Rams’ view of Nacua’s future with the team.
Matthew Stafford is 38 years old, and he knows there’s a reason the Rams drafted the 23-year-old quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round.
Stafford declined to go into detail when asked by reporters what coach Sean McVay said to him about the Rams’ decision to draft Simpson, but he said he was grateful that McVay wanted to talk to him about it, and he understands why the Rams felt like they needed a younger quarterback to build for the future.
“I’m not going to get into what our conversation was I appreciate him talking with me about those things. We have constant dialogue and a great relationship, so I appreciate that,” Stafford said of his discussions with McVay. “I understand where the team’s coming from. Listen, I’m not 25 years old and I get that. We’re doing everything we can to be as good a football team as we can for now, for the future, for all of it.”
Stafford said he wants to help Simpson prepare, but that it’s not unlike the way he’s helping the whole team get ready for the 2026 season.
“My job first and foremost is to get myself and our team ready to play as best as I possibly can. He’s a part of that team. We’re in a unique position in that we play the same position, I have a ton of experience and he’s just now starting his journey as an NFL player,” Stafford said. “He’s a guy that asks questions. I’ve been trying to answer those as honestly and as thoroughly as I possibly can.”
Stafford said the Rams’ whole roster is working to improve, and he’s supporting everyone.
“I’m happy to add good players to our team,” Stafford said. “He’s one of them. But my job is go out there and get myself and our team as ready to play as I possibly can.”
The 49ers ended up with not one but two international games in 2026 — one in Australia and one in Mexico. Even though the trip to Melbourne will be much longer than the trip to Mexico City, the Mexico trip will likely keep them away from home even longer than the season-opener down under.
“We haven’t finalized it yet, but we’d love to stay here and go there,” Shanahan said of the travel plans for the Week 11 game against the Vikings in Mexico City. “It’s a shorter flight, but that’s not really the issue. The main thing with Mexico City is it’s 2,000 [feet] higher than Denver. And so, we like to get adjusted to that altitude. So, we’ll probably go to Colorado Springs again like we did last time to get ready for that altitude and then probably go to Mexico City the night before.”
The 49ers play their Week 10 game at Dallas. Shanahan was asked whether the team would go straight to Colorado from Texas.
“We haven’t decided that yet, but most likely,” Shanahan said. “We’ll probably end up, the Mexico City trip will probably be a longer one than the Australia one, just because of that.”
The two international trips impose a significant burden on the 49ers. And it potentially creates a competitive disadvantage. Those issues, however, have taken a back seat to the league’s efforts to globalize the game.
The NFL wants to secure the ability to play 16 international games per year, with the idea of having every team make one international trip per season. That would be the fairest way to handle it. If every team has to leave the country once, the disadvantage levels out.
For now, with a maximum of 10 international games, it would be far more fair for no team to be expected to travel to another country for a game more than once per year. In the ultra-difficult NFC West, having the 49ers make two separate trips to play in another country won’t make it an easier to successfully compete with the Seahawks and the Rams.
