By George Ingarra
With the 2026 season starting soon, a lot of players have moved teams. Many popular players, such as Myles Garrett and A.J. Brown, found new teams in the offseason. So what are some of the biggest and most surprising trades of the 2026 season?
Myles Garrett: Traded to the Rams
On the first of June, the Browns edge star Myles Garrett was traded to the LA Rams on a five year deal. They will be the first team since the 1970 merger to field a reigning MVP (Matthew Stafford) and now the defensive player of the year as well!
Why Did the Rams Do It?
Going back to 2022, Rams coach Sean McVay considered retiring after a bad season, but he decided to return for the next season and led the team to a 5-12 record. Even though they experienced a down year as a team, it actually helped quite a bit. They cleared out a difficult salary cap situation and made some good draft picks like Puka Nacua and Kyren Willams. They added rookie talent on both sides of the ball and had a chance to spend going forward. They signed Davante Adams in free agency on March 13th 2025, and this offseason they traded one of their picks away to the Chiefs for Trent McDuffie and signed Myles Garrett on a four year $124 million deal. They got Jaylen Watson, too. Finally, Rams star Aaron Donald came out of retirement to play with the Rams again! This makes the Rams a formidable force this year.
Why did the Browns give him up?
When The Browns' front office realized the team's window for contention had closed, Cleveland was forced to reset. Even with Garrett on the team, the Browns remained at the bottom of their division. Garrett's huge contract was also terrible for a team that is rebuilding. So in March, the Browns delayed his contract which made it more flexible for them to trade Garrett away. It became clear that Myles did not want to play for the Browns and wanted to contend for a Super Bowl. He skipped the offseason programs and did not meet with the new coaching staff. So the Browns decided to move on rather than keep an unhappy superstar.
Making Sense of the A.J. Brown Trade
A.J. Brown, Eagles Star WR, was Traded to the New England Patriots.
But why did the Eagles trade him?
One of the reasons A.J. was moved was because of a relationship with the team. With a lot of late season losses, Brown began to get frustrated with the team. He had a heated argument with the head coach, and went on a media blackout. He was unhappy with the offense and no one could stand him any longer. Brown had wanted out of Philly and demanded a trade. He had wanted to go back to Mike Vrabel, who was head coach during his years of playing with the Tennessee Titans. His wish came true and he ended up on the Patriots! So in return the Eagles get a 2027 5th round pick and a 2028 1st round pick.
A Photo of A.J Brown
Why Was DJ Moore Traded?
Chicago Bears WR DJ Moore was traded to the Buffalo Bills on March 11th, 2026. But why was he traded?
DJ Moore was traded to the Bills for a couple of reasons. He had signed a big four year contract with Chicago that was going to kick in with high price points. By doing the trade before the new season, the Bears got rid of his $23.5 million salary and freed up $16.5 million for their salary cap. Doing this provided more money for their defensive needs. Not to mention, he had a bit of a down year last season. Chicago recognized this and chose to sell the 29-year-old veteran. Lastly, the Bears already have many young pass catchers on the team. The young standouts are Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Colston Loveland, so Moore’s high cap hit became something Chicago could not afford.
Source: espn.com