The Los Angeles Rams’ trade for Myles Garrett has been in the works for a long time. Like, a really long time.
It doesn’t just go back to March when the Cleveland Browns restructured Garrett’s contract to make a trade more feasible. The origins of this deal go all the way back to 2022, right after the Rams won the Super Bowl.
Adam Schefter of ESPN outlined the Rams’ lengthy pursuit of Garrett during an appearance on “Unsportsmanlike” Tuesday, revealing that they’ve been calling the Browns about the star defender for four years.
“If you want to be really honest, it goes back to 2022. That is how long the Rams have been after Myles Garrett. They have called the Browns on a regular basis all that time,” Schefter said.
The Athletic also reported Tuesday that the Rams “called the Browns to inquire about Garrett’s availability in 2022” but Cleveland was not open to trading him back then. The Rams considered it again in 2023 before their rebuild began.
Around the same time the Rams were pursuing Garrett, they were also interested in then-Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns. According to Schefter, he was the fallback option when they couldn’t acquire Garrett.
“Remember all the conversation and trade speculation about the Rams trading for Brian Burns when he was in Carolina?” Schefter said. “There were stories about that. Brian Burns was the guy they were turning to when they couldn’t get Myles Garrett year after year. And the conversations for Myles Garrett continued on and on.”
Things heated up again this offseason after the Browns adjusted Garrett’s contract. The Rams offered the Browns picks for Garrett, but that wasn’t enough to get a deal done. Schefter said talks got serious when the Rams granted Cleveland’s wish to include Jared Verse, who was coveted by the Browns.
Los Angeles didn’t want to part with Verse, but he was the only player who would satisfy the Browns’ wishes in a trade. So, the Rams pulled the trigger and moved on from the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The Rams’ unrelenting pursuit of Garrett landed them a future Hall of Famer, someone Sean McVay reportedly believes could go down as the best edge rusher ever.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams have been trying to trade for Myles Garrett since 2022
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
