The Green Bay Packers’ trip to play the Rams in Los Angeles during the NFL’s first ever Thanksgiving Eve primetime game was already going to be one of the most highly anticipated games on the league’s 2026 schedule, but a blockbuster trade completed Monday will add even more intrigue to the Nov. 25 matchup between NFC rivals.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Rams agreed to send Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick and two other future picks to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for edge rusher Myles Garrett, the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
One of the biggest trades in recent NFL history gives Sean McVay and the Rams their version of Micah Parsons and immediately solidifies Los Angeles as the team to beat in the NFC and the obvious favorite to win the Super Bowl in 2026.
Garrett, a seven-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro, set the NFL’s single season sack record in 2025, producing 23.0 sacks in his final season with the Browns. Desperate to play for a contender, Garrett is now headed to Los Angeles with a big chance to win big right away.
More than likely, the Packers’ road back to the Super Bowl — a path now stretching over 15 years — will go through Los Angeles at some point, starting with the Thanksgiving Eve showdown at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 25. The league’s first ever game on the night before the Thanksgiving holiday will be broadcast on Netflix and figures to be one of the top games on Green Bay’s regular season schedule.
Jordan Love versus Matthew Stafford can now be safely billed as Love and Parsons versus Stafford and Garrett.
Last season, Garrett produced four pressures and a sack during a dominant individual and collective pass-rushing performance from the Browns in an upset win over the Packers in Cleveland. Gone is left tackle Rasheed Walker, who departed in free agency, giving 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan the job on Love’s blindside.
Can the Packers keep up with the star-studded Rams in 2026?
Last year, the Rams advanced to the NFC Championship Game but were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks, the eventual Super Bowl champions, in January. Green Bay has won five straight games over McVay and the Rams.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Blockbuster trade adds even more intrigue to Packers’ Thanksgiving Eve road trip
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
