Fans the world over and nearly everyone in the football media space have shared their thoughts on the Myles Garrett trade by this point and what it means for the Los Angeles Rams (and, on a grander scale, the NFL as a whole) this season.
Now, we’re starting to hear reactions from the guys who know the Rams better than anyone else in the NFL: their divisional opponents. These are the men who already know how hard it is to play and prepare for Los Angeles, and everyone around the league already knows
how dominant Garrett is.
Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald responded about how you would expect when he was asked about the trade during his weekly radio show on Thursday.
“There’s so much that has to happen between now and when we even start playing games, so it’s like, ‘OK, great’ Macdonald said, adding: “The NFL, there’s people moving around, that’s kind of the way of the offseason, it’s built that way for a reason and I think it’s great for our game that people are excited about it.”
Macdonald also mentioned that Jared Verse, who was traded to the Cleveland Browns as part of Rams’ exchange for Garrett, is also a good player who the Seahawks needed to prepare for before. Again, this is about what you’d expect from a rival coach. He’s not going to do anything in June to hype up his biggest threat to repeating as Super Bowl champion.
Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals have far more pressing issues to worry about than what the Rams are doing, but their best player, Trey McBride, spoke to NFL Network this week about his surprise when the Rams landed Garrett.
“I was really shocked,” McBride said. “I was really trying to figure out how they were going to get this done, how they were going to get the cap, the salary, all the above. But honestly, guy’s a tremendous player. You know, Jared Verse is also a tremendous player. So, it’s kind of like one out, one in, and Myles Garrett’s been doing it at a high level for a long time. So, you know, I’m excited to go against one of the best in the league twice a year, every year.”
McBride went on to talk about how you always need to think about doubling and chipping Garrett because of how destructive he can be. The tight end, arguably the best one in the NFL and certainly the best offensive player for Arizona, will likely have a role in that to some degree. That’s a thankless job for a guy who will already have to shoulder a backbreaking task of carrying that offense in 2026.
The strongest endorsement of the move from anyone, however, came from San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams. What are his thoughts on the Rams trading for the reigning defensive player of the year?
“It sucks,” Williams said.
For the rest of the NFC West, that’s certainly true, have to give Williams credit for that.
