What Does the Myles Garrett Trade Mean for Puka Nacua and the Rams?

The Los Angeles Rams are officially all-in.

Matthew Stafford signed a mega one-year extension that seemingly locks him in as the team’s starting quarterback for the next two years, and on Monday, L.A. doubled down on its championship window by trading one of its young stars for the best defensive player in football.

Myles Garrett is coming off breaking the single-season record for sacks in an NFL regular season, and now he’s a Los Angeles Ram.

And while the focus with the Rams is now on the defensive side by bringing in Garrett and trading for one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL with Trent McDuffie, the biggest question for L.A. now might be on the offensive end: What does this mean for Puka Nacua?

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This summer was supposed to be a huge one for Nacua, who was rumored to be in talks to receive a massive contract from the Rams. His rival, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, received his money from the Seattle Seahawks, but there has been no new information on whether L.A. will offer anything similar to Nacua.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler also posted on social media that the prevailing thought is that the Rams won’t extend any of their young players, including Nacua, this summer as they look to compete this season and regroup next offseason.

For Nacua, although he was excellent on the field in 2025, his off-field antics and social media issues might be why the Rams aren’t quick to tie their future to the superstar wideout.

While Nacua is set to be a free agent next summer, the Rams could use the franchise tag on the young receiver if they don’t want to give him a contract that would most likely be the biggest ever given out to a wideout.

With Jared Verse traded for Garrett, it sends a message out to any player on the Rams, especially Nacua. L.A. wants to win another Super Bowl, and if you aren’t contributing to that goal on (and off) the football field, they aren’t afraid to take a big swing for someone they think can.

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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 1:46 PM.