When Myles Garrett made his case to be traded out of Cleveland in February 2025, the Browns responded by throwing money at the problem.
The end result was a new contract that made Garrett, at the time, the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL at $40 million per year in new-money average.
The market has since spiked by 25 percent, starting with Packers linebacker Micah Parsons and continuing most recently with Texans linebacker Will Anderson Jr., whose deal pushed the bar to $50 million per year.
Rams G.M. Les Snead touched briefly on the issue of Garrett’s deal during his introductory press conference on Tuesday.
“I will say this for [agent] Nicole [Lynn],” Snead said. “We wouldn’t have been able to get this done without us working pretty tirelessly since the weekend. We didn’t have a lot of time to discuss contract, but thank you, Nicole.”
They have the time to talk about it now. Will the Rams, who gave up three draft picks and Jared Verse to get Garrett, give him a sweetener? If they value him the way they clearly do, that value needs to reflect itself in his compensation package.
So, yes, that’s the next topic to address. Will the Rams give Garrett a new deal now? Will they kick the can for a year and pay him $30.5 million for 2026?
The market is the market. Last year, Garrett reset the market. The market has since been reset, multiple times. And while Garrett (whose career earnings through 2025 passed $150 million) has finally gotten his chance to play for a winner, there are plenty of reasons for Garrett to attempt to get full and fair value while he can.
That said, Garrett could have insisted on a new deal on his way through the door. He could have hinged waiving his no-trade clause on a contract that moved his new-money APY to $50.1 million, or more.
Now that the deal is done, it becomes a little trickier for Garrett to get the Rams to tear up the existing deal. Garrett is happy to be with a contender. Taking a stand for an adjustment could disrupt that vibe, and sacrifice some of his fresh SoCal goodwill.
Still, Garrett’s contract can’t be ignored. He’s 30. He’s signed for five more years. He likely has one more bite at the apple. The sooner he takes it, the more likely he’ll become once again the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league.
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