Forget the Rams: The Biggest Winner of the Myles Garrett Trade Is Joe Burrow

On Monday, the Cleveland Browns did the unthinkable, trading two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams.

In exchange, Cleveland receives Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-rounder, one of the biggest trades in NFL history involving a defensive player.

And yet the Browns had spent months insisting this would never happen.

The Browns said all offseason they weren’t planning on trading Garrett, the face of the franchise, after inking him to a four-year, $160 million extension last year.

Garrett has been named a first-team All-Pro in five of the past six seasons, earned six straight Pro Bowls, and had 10 or more sacks every year but one, his 2017 rookie season.

He already ranks 20th all-time with 125.5 career sacks, and he’s still only 30 years old.

Garrett also just broke the single-season sack record of 22.5 previously held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt, finishing with 23 sacks in 2025.

The Rams were already viewed as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Now, it’s hard to see anyone else lifting the Lombardi come February.

But honestly, the biggest winner of this trade might not even play for either team.

It could end up being Joe Burrow.

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Garrett has been an absolute nightmare for Burrow the last six years.

No other quarterback in the NFL has been sacked more by Garrett. And when he broke the record in 2025, it came against Burrow in Week 18.

Garrett has 16 sacks in 14 career games against the Cincinnati Bengals, the most in Bengals franchise history.

Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor said it plainly: “He’s the best defensive player on Planet Earth. You can’t put it into words.”

But now he’s in the NFC. Far, far away from Burrow.

This development also lands at the perfect time for Cincinnati.

The Bengals have spent this entire offseason building the most aggressive roster of the Burrow era. The front office delivered by signing Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, and Jonathan Allen in free agency, then swinging a blockbuster trade for Dexter Lawrence.

The deal for Lawrence came with a one-year, $28 million extension, a clear signal that Cincinnati is going all-in around Burrow for the Super Bowl.

Burrow has even said himself that “this is the most talented roster that we’ve had since I’ve been here.”. He didn’t stop there, either. “We’re going to go win a lot of games this year and play great and win a Super Bowl,” the Bengals quarterback said.

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The Bengals went all-in this offseason. Garrett just walked out the door. The runway is as clear as it’s ever been.

Joe Burrow didn’t make this trade. And yet, he might be the one who benefits from it the most.

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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 1:50 PM.