What's already been a magnificent Cincinnati Bengals offseason just got a whole lot better in light of a trade involving one of the team's AFC North rivals.
Facing the Cleveland Browns' oft-excellent defense twice a year hasn't been easy for Joe Burrow. The Browns are the one familiar foe who always seems to give Burrow the most grief. Superstar defensive end Myles Garrett is the biggest reason why.
Garrett changes the math for any offensive scheme. He commands constant double teams and help. The good news? Cleveland can't seem to build a good enough team around Garrett to keep him happy.
This has now culminated in the biggest blockbuster trade involving a studly defensive lineman since, well, the Bengals traded the 10th overall pick in this year's draft for Dexter Lawrence.
Browns superstar Myles Garrett traded to Rams in absolute stunner that bolsters Bengals' AFC North title hopes
NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the big news of Garrett's move to the Rams, indicating that young star edge defender Jared Verse is the centerpiece of a trade package that also includes draft capital. A 2027 first-round pick will be part of the deal, per NFL Media's Tom Pelissero.
Sources: Jared Verse is headed to the #Browns in exchange for Myles Garrett, per sources. https://t.co/oJpg0FMQjg
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 1, 2026
Prior to the news of this trade, Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com underscored how the post-June 1 stipulations baked into Garrett's contract made a trade more palatable.
"The June 1 date is significant because the Browns restructured Garrett’s contract in March in a way that makes him easier to trade after the 4 p.m. deadline, with his original March option bonuses over the next three years deferred until seven days before the start of the regular season."
On the Bengals' side of things, having Garrett out of the division for 2026 is obviously a big boon to their hopes of winning the AFC North. They finish up the season with the Ravens and Browns at home in Weeks 17 and 18. If the division crown is still at stake in the regular-season finale, now that Garrett is no longer in Cleveland, it should make winning that potentially decisive game far easier.
Burrow has had some hard injury luck over the years. Although the Bengals are better at tackle than they've ever been with veteran Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle and ascending right tackle Amarius Mims, Garrett can blow up any game plan on his own.
We all know the Rams are notoriously all-in every single year. If fans were upset that they drafted Matthew Stafford's prospective successor, Ty Simpson, with the 13th overall pick, those same detractors are indubitably over the moon about this deal for Garrett.
The Browns don't have a clear long-term quarterback solution. Loading up on first-round picks ahead of the 2027 NFL Draft, which is considered a deep QB class, was evidently too compelling to prevent them from trading Garrett, even if their defense takes a huge hit in the short term.
Although Cincinnati doesn't face the Rams in the regular season, we could very well see a Super Bowl LVI rematch, with Garrett and Burrow squaring off for their first Lombardi Trophy. Get your popcorn preemptively ready, y'all.
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