Super Bowl or Bust for Rams

Morning Edition

June 2, 2026

The Rams were already must-see TV, with a league-high seven primetime games and Super Bowl expectations. Now they’re set to pair reigning MVP Matthew Stafford with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.

—Eric Fisher

First Up

First at FOS: Pat McAfee and ESPN opened extension talks, even though his current deal runs through 2028. Read the story.
First at FOS: Russell Wilson will replace Matt Ryan on CBS’s NFL Today studio show. Read the story.
MLBPA blasted the owners’ salary cap proposal, deepening an already bitter divide in labor talks. Read the story.
The director of HBO’s USMNT docuseries defended his choice to largely leave out the Reyna-Berhalter controversy. Read the story.

Myles Garrett Trade Makes All-In Rams an Even Bigger TV Draw

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The NFL already considered the Rams must-see TV in 2026. That’s likely becoming even more true after the team closed in on a blockbuster trade Monday for Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett.

According to multiple reports, Los Angeles has agreed to send pass rusher Jared Verse, a first-round draft pick in 2027, a second-rounder in 2028, and a third-rounder in 2029 in return for Garrett, a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, including last season in a unanimous vote.

The deal, one of the biggest swaps of a defensive player in league history, further heralds the Rams as not only a win-now team but also one that will be a fixture on national television in 2026.

TV Darlings

The Rams were slated for seven primetime games when the NFL released the regular-season schedule last month, more than any other team and tying a league record. The factors in that strategy were rather straightforward. Los Angeles is the No. 2 media market, and the Rams currently hold the best odds to win Super Bowl LXI—and by a considerable margin over runners-up such as the Ravens, Bills, and defending champion Seahawks.

That upcoming title game, meanwhile, will be played at the Rams’ home venue, SoFi Stadium, and the team would very much like to be there—just as they were for Super Bowl LVI in 2022.

The team’s primetime slate also includes the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia, a newly created Thanksgiving Eve contest, and a Christmas night clash against top NFC West divisional rival Seattle. With Garrett in the fold, additional showcases are possible through flex scheduling.

Loading Up

Garrett set the NFL’s all-time single-season sack record last year with 23 and carries a $23.5 million salary cap hit for the Rams. His contract runs through the 2030 season.

The Garrett deal also follows a recent $55 million contract extension between the Rams and star quarterback Matthew Stafford, last year’s NFL MVP. In so doing, the Rams are set to become the first team in NFL history to have both the reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

Other Side of the Coin

For the Browns, meanwhile, the departure of Garrett further signals another likely rebuilding era unfolding for the long-suffering franchise.

Cleveland undoubtedly gets younger and cheaper in the move, but the team also is still looking up in the AFC North division that has the Ravens and Bengals with Super Bowl aspirations and a Steelers team that hasn’t had a losing season since 2003. Next year’s incoming draft pick likely will be toward the end of the first round, unless the upcoming Rams season goes horribly awry.

The Browns retooled leadership somewhat after the 2025 regular season, hiring new head coach Todd Monken in January, but he has not had any face-to-face meetings with Garrett since then.

Cleveland, meanwhile, recently broke ground on a planned domed stadium and mixed-use development being built in suburban Brook Park, Ohio. That facility is slated to open in 2029, and barring some kind of shocking return by Garrett before then, he won’t be part of that.

More Big News

On a busy day across the NFL, the defending AFC champion Patriots also acquired wide receiver A.J. Brown in a trade with the Eagles. Philadelphia will receive a first-round draft pick in 2028 and a fifth-round pick in 2027 for the three-time Pro Bowler.

The deal reunites Brown with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, as they were previously together in Tennessee. The move also represents something of a vindication for reporter Dianna Russini, formerly with The Athletic, who suggested months ago a move of Brown to the Patriots. Russini, of course, has since been the center of a personal scandal involving Vrabel.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Intersecting Capital and Competition

Sports has become one of the hottest investment opportunities in the global market. Franchise valuations are climbing to record highs; private equity is reshaping team ownership; athletes are evolving into institutional investors; and leagues are becoming platforms for global capital. Meanwhile, prediction markets are upending the incumbent sports betting giants.

After an impactful debut in 2025, Asset Class, our live event led by FOS deals reporter Ben Horney, is back for its second year on Sept. 15 in Manhattan.

Join the industry’s most influential power players for high-impact conversations about the deals transforming sports.

If you want to stay ahead in the business of sports, this is where you need to be.

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ONE BIG FIG

Stanley Cup Surge

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3.3 million

That’s the average combined U.S. and Canadian audience for the first two rounds of the NHL playoffs, the highest figure of its kind on record. The total topped the previous high set two years ago by 24%, continuing a postseason ratings surge for the league.

The Stanley Cup Final begins Tuesday with the Golden Knights and Hurricanes, marking the first all-U.S. Final matchup since 2023. With the series airing on ABC and playoff audiences already near record levels, the NHL could be headed for another ratings boost. Read the story.

Daily sports trivia: Can you rank the top five NBA players by the most career All-NBA First Team selections?

LOUD AND CLEAR

Reality Check

Quinn Harris-Imagn Images

“Unless there’s a meaningful change in Illinois, and quick, the team is going to Indiana.”

—Chicago-based sports consultant Marc Ganis, who works frequently with the NFL, told Front Office Sports that the Bears’ stadium search is nearing a critical juncture after Illinois lawmakers failed to advance a stadium bill before ending their spring session. Ganis said there has been “a loss of credibility” in Illinois after months of negotiations failed to produce a deal.

The Bears are seeking to build a $5 billion domed stadium and mixed-use development, and Indiana already has an approved funding package on the table. The team says it remains on track to make a final site decision by early summer, leaving Illinois with little time to find another path forward. Read the story.