Jared Verse Explains Why He Told Rams Teammates Himself About Myles Garrett Trade
Jared Verse wanted to control one thing about the biggest trade of his career: how his old locker room found out about it.
The Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams completed one of the more stunning trades in recent NFL history in June, with the Browns sending two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to Los Angeles in exchange for Verse and three future draft picks — a 2027 first-rounder, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder, according to ESPN. Now, with training camp underway, Verse is opening up about the personal side of the move: making sure his former Rams teammates heard it from him first.
Verse discussed the moment in an interview with CBS Sports. He posted on X: “That was my family, those are my brothers”
Jared Verse wanted his Rams teammates to hear the news from him ❤️
"That was my family, those are my brothers."
🎙️: @AKinkhabwala pic.twitter.com/Ud7PFPZ5sa
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) August 6, 2026
Verse says he insisted on telling Rams teammates himself
According to the interview clip shared by NFL on CBS, Verse described the closeness of a Rams locker room built on more than what shows up on Sundays.
“When you spend that much time with each other, you become a very good, very close-knit group… But they don’t see the late meetings. They don’t see us going out to grab food together. They don’t see people coming to my house just to watch the NBA Finals or do this or do that. All these things that we do that genuinely makes us a family,” Verse said.
He went further, naming teammates directly and describing the group as family rather than former colleagues.
“That was my family. Those are people, and those still are my family. Those are my brothers… But when I got the news broken to me, I was like, I think it’s more important that they hear it from me versus you know getting it booked into them by ESPN,” Verse said.
That instinct — controlling the message before outside reporting could — reflects how fast the trade came together. The Browns and Rams finalized the deal in a matter of days after Cleveland made clear that any package for Garrett had to include Verse, a 2024 first-round pick who made the Pro Bowl in his second season.
What’s next for the Rams defense
Losing Verse leaves a hole in a Rams pass rush that had leaned on him since his rookie season, but Los Angeles didn’t make this trade to get worse. Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, gives the Rams a proven disruptor as they chase another deep playoff run.
Los Angeles is looking to build on last season’s playoff berth and reclaim the NFC West as it opens 2026 on the road against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10 at 8:35 p.m. ET, part of the NFL’s first regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia.
Verse, for his part, has said he’s settled in quickly in Cleveland, calling the move something close to a homecoming given his Dayton, Ohio, roots. But the CBS interview makes clear the transition wasn’t just about scheme fit or a new city. It was about a group of guys he didn’t want to lose control of the story with.
