Just when you thought the NFC West couldn’t be any more harder for the 49ers and fans, with the emergence of the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, the last couple of years.
Now the Rams have gone ahead and pushed all their chips to the table in trading for former 2-time NFL defensive player of the year, Myles Garrett.
Welp, NFC West Division Just Got Significantly Tougher
Yeah, you read that right, the Rams just traded for Myles Garrett, and the news was so exciting that Aaron Donald has even thought about coming out of retirement just to play alongside Mr. Garrett.
Donald is hoping to add some ‘Myles’ to his career before he calls it quits again for a final time, as 2 rings are better than 1.
It Makes Sense When You Think About It
Credit: Yahoo Sports-Twitter/XYou really can’t fault either side for making the drastic and earth-shattering move. Garrett was getting stale playing for the Browns in Cleveland, putting up Hulk-like defensive numbers without the success of winning, and that was weighing heavily on Myles’s shoulders. You could tell he wore it with every loss. Then you have the Los Angeles Rams, who have a small window of opportunity with Matthew Stafford at the helm, so they were ready to go all in and even traded newly drafted superstar Jared Verse.
The Rams figured to make a big move; you’re going to have to give up a lot, and that explains why the Browns want such an impact player. While the Rams got Garrett, the Browns walked away with Verse, a 2027 1st-round pick, a 2028 2nd-round pick, and a 2029 3rd-round pick.
Anyone in their right mind would have made the same trade in a heartbeat, and the Rams did.
Biggest NFC West Trade In a Long Time
This is the kind of trade that has 49ers fans, along with fans of all other 31 teams, asking, why couldn’t my team make that move?
Well, it’s quite simple: the Rams were ready to do whatever it takes to get the deal done, and they have the players to offer, as well as draft capital.
We all know Les Snead’s stance regarding draft picks, as his motto is “F**K Them Picks” and he supposedly has a coffee mug with those words of wisdom.
Frick them picks pic.twitter.com/ZFUiUHOIpn
— NFL (@NFL) June 1, 2026
First, Matthew Stafford, and now Myles Garrett, who, according to CBS Sports, are 2 of the top-4 trades in NFL history.
If this trade from the Browns to the Rams does garner a Lombardi trophy, it’s hard to argue that those facts of those 2 trades are the biggest in NFL lore. We’ll have to wait and see 49ers fans, hopefully we can derail those plans for the 2026 season. Don’t forget, as I’m sure the Rams haven’t, that the next Super Bowl will be at SoFi Stadium.
Win Win for Cleveland & LA Rams
You have to applaud both sides on this trade. It seems like the Cleveland Browns did right by Myles Garrett and traded him to a contender who thought they could win, and it’s a team that Myles had mentioned in the past as a team to be traded to if he ever was going to be shipped off to another team.
Then you have the Rams, who are willing to suck the brass off a doorknob to get any superstar available to help pry open their closing window on Super Bowl chances.
Apparently, according to Les Snead, the Rams really didn’t want to part ways with Jared Verse, but when you factor in the player you’re trading for, it’s a no-brainer.
Why Not Us?
Why didn’t the 49ers pull off this trade? That’s a very good question. Maybe it’s because the 49ers weren’t going to let go of Fred Warner, who’s obviously one of, and if not the best, 49ers/NFL defensive player. Then you have Nick Bosa, who’s coming off an ACL tear from the 2025 season and has had other significant injuries earlier in his career.
I don’t think the Browns felt comfortable taking an oft-injured Nick Bosa in exchange for one of the league’s best players, ever. The 49ers weren’t willing to part ways with players who would have left them looking like the team Myles just got traded from, the Cleveland Browns.
Even Trent Williams had the same response as pretty much every other NFL team when being quoted as saying about the trade, “It sucks”.
Rethinking 49ers 2026 Post Trade
Now the 49ers, along with the rest of the league, are going to get a close, intense look at how good Garrett is, since they’re playing him twice a year in the NFC West and possibly a 3rd time in the playoffs. This is the kind of trade that almost makes the Rams an immediate Super Bowl favorite, and you can’t really argue with those opinions. Myles is the type of player any NFL fan can root for, as he embodies the consummate NFL player.
I hope he stays healthy and has a great year, but the team he’s on has a crappy season à la the Cleveland Browns, and I don’t see that happening in La-La Land.
Buckle up, 49ers fans, as that 10-7 record prediction is looking a little shakier, and now could be easily a 9-8 season after adding another Rams win after that ecstatic trade.
It’s going to be a rocky 2026 NFL season.
