CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 2: Jared Verse #5 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts with Braden Fiske #55 of the Florida State Seminoles after a sack against the Louisville Cardinals during the ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) Getty
The Los Angeles Rams ' blockbuster trade for Myles Garrett gave Braden Fiske a NFL-best pass rusher as a new teammate.
His first reaction had didn't have to do with the player coming to Los Angeles .
Fiske was sitting in a team meeting when word broke June 1 that the Rams had agreed to acquire Garrett from the Cleveland Browns .
"We were at the facility, we were sitting in a meeting … and the news kind of breaks, and it's like a quick scramble," Fiske told Jordan Schultz on "The Schultz Report", in a clip Schultz shared on X.
Fiske said the surprise turned personal.
"My first instinct is 'oh we lost Jared, that really sucked,'" Fiske said.
The price included Jared Verse , Fiske's close friend and former Florida State teammate, along with three premium draft picks. The Rams sent Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder to Cleveland in the deal.
Garrett arrived in Los Angeles as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year after setting an NFL single-season record with 23 sacks in 2025. Verse, meanwhile, had become one of the faces of the Rams' younger standouts.
GettyCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 2: Jared Verse #5 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts with Braden Fiske #55 of the Florida State Seminoles after a sack against the Louisville Cardinals during the ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
Fiske and Verse knew each other before they reached the NFL. They played together at Florida State in 2023, then landed with the Rams in consecutive rounds of the 2024 draft. Verse went No. 19 overall, while Los Angeles traded up to take Fiske at No. 39. Their relationship had already become a central part of the Rams' young defensive identity.
The pairing delivered quickly. Verse won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 and made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons. Fiske recorded 8.5 sacks as a rookie before injuries contributed to a dip to three sacks in 2025.
That history made the June trade difficult for Fiske to process even with Garrett coming back in return.
"It's one of the things that heals over time," Fiske said of adjusting to the move.
He expressed similar mixed emotions during training camp. Fiske told the Rams' team website in July that losing Verse meant losing "a brother," while acknowledging that playing next to a future Hall of Famer in Garrett was an opportunity he could appreciate.
Rams general manager Les Snead said the organization initially tried to make the Garrett deal using only draft compensation before ultimately agreeing to include Verse. Head coach Sean McVay described the exchange as having to give up something great to acquire something great.
Three months have gone by, and Fiske's surroundings have changed even more.
Aaron Donald came out of retirement in late August, giving Los Angeles a defensive front headlined by Donald and Garrett. Fiske now has a chance to work alongside two players with multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards while the Rams attempt to turn last season's NFC Championship Game appearance into a Super Bowl run.
For Fiske, that opportunity comes after an offseason in which he emphasized getting healthy. The Rams noted in July that he dealt with oblique and ankle injuries during the 2025 season, when his production fell from his rookie year.
He now enters Year 3 with a different challenge: carving out his role in a star-heavy group while moving forward without the teammate who had been beside him since their final college season.
The Garrett trade may have raised the Rams' aspirations, but Fiske's comments make it obvious the move had at least a temporary cost inside the locker room, too.
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