Rams Clips
As Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis learned last month, throwing out the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game is usually a no-win proposition. Do it well, and no one notices. Do it not-so-well, and you never hear the end of it.
That basic truth didn’t stop new Rams defensive end Myles Garrett from giving it a whirl on Saturday. And it went very well.
Here’s the video. It was a strike from the top of the mound — and it had some heat on it.
Garrett wore a T-shirt with an image of L.A. icon Kobe Bryant in a Dodgers hat. If Garrett plays for the Rams like he played for the Browns, Garrett will be the guy on the T-shirts worn by L.A. fans.
For now, Garrett checked the box regarding his perfunctory first pitch at Chavez Ravine. Even if it would have gotten far more notice if the throw had gotten away from Garrett.
The NFL Players Association “strongly opposes” the proposed changes to the California workers’ compensation laws, which would limit the rights of professional athletes. The NFL teams headquartered in the state — the Rams, the Chargers, and the 49ers — support the bill.
Although neither the NFL nor any of the California-based teams have made a public statement in that regard, the sponsor of the bill (Senator Laura Richardson) has indicated in a summary of the proposed legislation that the NFL and the three California teams support it.
She also states that Major League Baseball (including the L.A. Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants, the San Diego Padres, and the Sacramento A’s), the NHL (including the L.A. Kings, the Anaheim Ducks, and the San Jose Sharks), the Premiere Lacrosse League, the Women’s Lacrosse League, Major League Soccer, and the ECHL support the bill.
Neither the NBA nor any of its California-based teams (the L.A. Lakers, the L.A. Clippers, and the Golden State Warriors) are identified by Richardson as supporting the bill.
The NFLPA has separately sent to players and certified agents an email regarding the potential impacts of the legislation.
The emails, obtained by PFT, explain that the bill “would greatly change how NFL players access benefits for career-related injuries, particularly cumulative trauma claims.”
The bill, per the NFLPA, “narrows the ability to file claims tied to long-term, career-related wear and tear — one of the primary avenues for players seeking coverage.” It also imposes "[t]ighter eligibility for California claims,” by redefining “what qualifies as a California-based team, limiting when and where players can bring claims in the state.”
The NFLPA contends that the bill shifts “liability away from clubs and increases the likelihood that players bear a greater share of injury-related medical costs,” and that it applies “a narrower set of circumstances . . . to a player’s final California team, reducing flexibility in pursuing benefits.”
The bill, per the NFLPA, also applies retroactively “to active and pending claims that have not yet been finalized, introducing risk for clients who have already filed or are in process.”
This is at least the third time an effort has commenced to change the California workers’ compensation laws to the detriment of professional athletes.
As to the NFL, the costs for workers’ compensation insurance are currently baked into the Collective Bargaining Agreement. And it’s possible that supporting the changes constitutes an effort by the NFL to circumvent the CBA.
In that regard, the union should perhaps push for a clear commitment in the next CBA that the NFL will not support any efforts to restrict players’ rights under the workers’ compensation laws in any states where the NFL does business.
With the Browns trading defensive end Myles Garrett, the next question was whether cornerback Denzel Ward could be traded, too.
The team has made its position clear. (Then again, the team also consistently said it wouldn’t trade Garrett.) And G.M. Andrew Berry has said that it would be appropriate for Ward to speak for himself.
Ward has.
“I definitely still want to be here,” Ward told reporters at his charity softball game on Saturday. “Myles is a good friend of mine, a great teammate. Things aren’t lost, you know? It’s Ohio against the world. People can doubt us, but we’re going out there still trying to play our best ball and, you know, bring wins to the city.”
A year ago, Ward said that the mere fact that Garrett had asked to be traded had a “huge impact” on Ward.
The simple reality is that, even with Garrett setting a single-season sack record at 23.0, the Browns went 5-12. It was time to maximize value and continue to build for the future.
Ward’s future is secured through 2027. And, yes, the right offer would get the Browns to consider making a move. The Garrett trade proves it.
Every player on every NFL team eventually will be replaced. And very few players would be traded under no circumstances.
For now, Ward is still part of the team that made him the fourth overall pick in 2018. He will be until the Browns trade him, until he retires, or until he becomes a free agent and goes elsewhere.
Myles Garrett won two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Browns. He’s favored to win a third with the Rams.
Garrett, who was traded to the Rams this week, is a +450 favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. Garrett previously won the award in 2023 and 2025.
Lawrence Taylor, J. J. Watt and Aaron Donald are the only three-time Defensive Players of the Year. Garrett would be in elite company if he can join them.
Texans pass rusher Will Anderson is next in the Defensive Player of the Year odds at +750. He’s followed by Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby and Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, both at +800.
The Rams’ defensive line has already added a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year this week in Myles Garrett. It would add a three-time Defensive Player of the Year if Aaron Donald comes out of retirement, and Garrett would love to see that.
Garrett said in an interview with the Rams’ social media that he would like to discuss Donald’s plans with him.
“We haven’t talked yet but definitely expect to talk soon. I don’t know what his plans are and I won’t pretend to know, but a lot of people are excited and thrilled about the possibility of him coming back,” Garrett said.
The 35-year-old Donald retired following the 2023 season, after 10 years in the NFL, all with the Rams. He has acknowledged that the acquisition of Garrett has him considering coming out of retirement and joining what would become one of the greatest defensive lines in NFL history.
Myles Garrett set the NFL record with 23 sacks last season, but he won’t be satisfied until he has the career sack record as well.
Garrett said after the Browns traded him to the Rams this week that he’s friendly with Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith and would love to break Smith’s NFL record of 200 career sacks.
“There’s a big goal out there, that’s 200,” Garrett said in an interview with the Rams’ YouTube channel. “I want to eclipse that, or I want to make it close. I have a good relationship with the guy who has that record, and being able to go get that one would mean a lot to myself, and to him as well.”
The 30-year-old Garrett has 125.5 sacks so far in his career. Smith had 106 sacks at the same age, so Garrett is well ahead of Smith’s pace. But Smith played until he was 40 years old, something not many players can do. So catching Smith won’t be easy for Garrett.
Garrett made clear that he’d love to be known as the greatest pass rusher of all time, but he’d love even more to win a Super Bowl.
“The GOAT talk and all that, I’m sure that will come and go along the way, but I want to win,” Garrett said. “I want to win early and often.”
The Rams’ trade for Myles Garrett on Monday made the reigning Defensive Player of the Year the NFC West’s problem.
While the other three teams in the AFC North were celebrating, the 49ers, Cardinals and Seahawks were already watching film on the Rams’ new edge rusher.
49ers left tackle Trent Williams was asked about Garrett joining the Rams and summed things up for the rest of the entire division.
“It sucks,” Williams said to laughter, via video from the team.
In the 49ers’ 26-8 win over the Browns last season, Garrett had a sack and three quarterback hits. He did not have a sack and only one quarterback hit in the Browns’ 19-17 victory over the 49ers in 2023.
Garrett, 30, set the NFL single-season sacks record last season with 23 and has 125.5 for his career.
Yes, the Rams and defensive end Myles Garrett have a new deal.
As mentioned earlier, it’s a five-year contract, covering 2026 through 2030. It replaces the deal Garrett had signed in 2025 with the Browns, adding no new years.
Here are the full terms, per a source with knowledge of the contract:
1. Signing bonus: $35.7 million.
2. 2026 base salary: $1.3 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2027 option bonus: $30.145 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in 2027.
4. 2027 base salary: $1.345 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in 2027.
5. 2027 per-game roster bonus: $510,000 total, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in 2027 (but must be earned).
6. 2028 option bonus: $19.49 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in 2027.
7. 2028 base salary: $1.345 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in 2027.
8. 2028 per-game roster bonus: $510,000 total, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in 2027 (but must be earned).
9. 2029 option bonus: $21.49 million.
10. 2029 offseason roster bonus: $8 million.
11. 2029 base salary: $10 million.
12. 2029 per-game roster bonus: $510,000 total.
13. 2030 option bonus: $16.49 million.
14. 2030 offseason roster bonus: $8 million.
15. 2030 base salary: $15 million.
16. 2030 per-game roster bonus: $510,000 total.
The five-year deal has an average of $35.8 million at signing. It’s the same total payout from 2026 through 2030 as his prior contract with the Browns.
Of the total amount, $37 million is fully guaranteed at signing. Another $62 million is guaranteed for injury at signing. The payments become fully guaranteed in 2027.
In comparison to his prior deal, the guarantee drops in 2027 by $10.7 million. The 2028 guarantee increases by $7.2 million.
As a practical matter, it’s a three-year deal with team-held options for 2029 and 2030. The $8 million roster bonus in each season will force the Rams to make a quick decision.
The Rams signed seventh-round defensive tackle Tim Keenan III on Thursday.
His signing leaves only one player in the five-player class unsigned. First-round quarterback Ty Simpson still has not agreed to terms.
The Rams drafted Keenan in the seventh round, with the 232nd overall choice. The former Alabama nose tackle is expected to back up Poona Ford.
Keenan started 12 games for Alabama last season, recording 16 tackles, three tackles for a loss and two sacks.
In his four seasons with the Crimson Tide, Keenan totaled 95 tackles, 12.5 sacks for loss and 5.5 sacks.
The Cowboys and Rams do not play in the preseason, but they both train in Southern California. Therefore, they often have joint practices during training camp, including in 2025 in Oxnard.
They will again this year, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday.
The date was not announced.
It will give new Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett a chance to practice against his hometown team. Garrett grew up in Arlington, Texas, which is home of AT&T Stadium, where the Cowboys play.
The Cowboys will also have a joint practice with the Saints, who already announced their intention to work with Dallas. The Saints and Cowboys will practice in Oxnard while the Saints are on the West Coast for a preseason game against the Rams in the second week of the exhibition season.
The Saints are coached by the Cowboys former quarterback and offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore.
