Myles Garrett sees his trade to the Rams as the path to the postseason success that has eluded him

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Short of winning the Super Bowl, Myles Garrett did almost everything a defensive player can do in his first nine seasons in the NFL.

Now a member of a Los Angeles Rams team favored to raise the Lombardi Trophy next February, Garrett is ready to fill the one glaring hole in his football resume.

“Since the very beginning, it’s always been about winning. … And to have an opportunity to do that immediately? That was the opportunity that was too difficult to pass up,” Garrett said at his introductory news conference Tuesday, one day after the blockbuster deal that sent him from Cleveland to Los Angeles.

Garrett had been to the playoffs with the Browns in 2020 and 2023, which were his only two winning seasons in Cleveland after being drafted first overall in 2017. With the Rams, the 30-year-old defensive end has joined an organization that has reached the postseason in seven of head coach Sean McVay’s nine seasons in charge, won the Super Bowl following the 2021 campaign, played in another, and came agonizingly close against Philadelphia and Seattle teams that ended up winning it all the past two seasons.

The Rams spent the offseason loading up for another Super Bowl push by addressing the defensive deficiencies that cost them in the 31-27 NFC title game loss to the Seahawks. They traded for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, signed fellow Chiefs defensive back Jaylen Watson in free agency, and capped it by acquiring a two-time AP Defensive Player of the Year and five-time first-team All-Pro in Garrett.

The moves have Garrett expecting big things.

"I see a position to solidify myself here as well among the very greats,” he said.

Following a season where he set the NFL single-season record with 23 sacks and also had a career-high 33 tackles for loss, Garrett believes the Rams’ structure and support could allow him to reach even greater heights. He joins a defense that already ranked in the top 10 in points allowed and sacks, and Garrett expects an offense led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was voted NFL MVP after throwing for 46 touchdowns, to give him plenty of chances to close games out in the fourth quarter.

Those opportunities were few and far between in Cleveland, where Garrett had 125 1/2 sacks in 134 career games. The Browns went 58-90-1 during Garrett's time there.

“I mean, that did play into the decision as well, knowing I have the ability, you know, late game, to pin my ears back, not just because we need a play to be made, but because we have the lead and it’s obvious passing downs, being able to make those game-changing plays to win the game for us, those are things that appealed to me,” Garrett said.

Garrett has already taken steps to get comfortable in his new surroundings, striking a deal with nose tackle Poona Ford to secure the No. 95 jersey.

Garrett is also looking forward to getting in touch with NBA superstar LeBron James, who has spent the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, for more information about the city. Garrett described James as a “positive force in my life,” having received advice and mentorship from the Akron, Ohio, native and four-time NBA champion over the years since joining the Browns.

Garrett already has some familiarity with the region. His girlfriend, Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim, is from Torrance, California, in Los Angeles County. His father, Lawrence, was born in Los Angeles.

For all the initial excitement surrounding the trade, Garrett understands it will ultimately be judged by how he and the Rams fare on the field.

“Nothing changes for me,” he said. “I don't feel any pressure to be anything else, be anything different. As long as I'm myself and I come here to work every day and I'm a leader, the success will follow.”

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Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett smiles during a press conference following the NFL football team's practice, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Woodland Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

From left, Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead, left, defensive end Myles Garrett, and head coach Sean McVay pose for a photo during a press conference following the NFL football team's practice, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Woodland Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett speaks to the media during a press conference following the NFL football team's practice, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Woodland Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett pose for a photo during a press conference following the NFL football team's practice, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Woodland Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement outside a New Jersey immigration detention center since late May have become the latest flashpoint for protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

More than 80 people have been arrested following a series of protests at Delaney Hall in Newark, where demonstrators say they are showing up in solidarity with detainees over accusations of poor living conditions.

The Trump administration has defended the treatment of detainees at the 1,000-bed facility.

Here's what to know:

The facility is owned by Geo Group, a private prison contractor that runs multiple detention centers across the country.

Detainees launched a hunger strike last month, according Cosecha, an immigrant advocacy group. They issued a number of handwritten letters from inside with their demands, including improved living conditions and better medical care, as they say some are being denied medication.

Detainees across the country have alleged medical neglect for serious and chronic conditions, and they have announced hunger strikes at other facilities.

The Delaney Hall detainees say they are being given moldy and expired food, some of it with maggots, and are housed in overcrowded cells that lack air conditioning. Democratic members of Congress from New York City visited the facility early in the protests and said the detainees' accounts are credible.

President Donald Trump and his deputies have defended the center’s operations and denied there is any hunger strike, abuse or poor conditions inside.

“The fact is, we’re giving them the calories they want,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said recently. “This isn’t Holiday Inn.”

Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, praised the food after a recent visit. “The spaghetti was good,” he told CBS News.

GEO Group has dismissed the criticisms as “a politically motivated campaign by outside groups to dismantle ICE and federal immigration detention by targeting the government’s facility contractors.”

The protesters, some wearing gas masks and helmets, have used traffic cones, trash cans and other items as makeshift shields, and they tried to block vehicles from entering or leaving the facility.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche shared images online of bloody wounds and bruises sustained by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Videos on social media show officers in riot gear deploying tear gas and using batons to beat back the demonstrators. Some videos have shown police on horseback marching into the crowds.

On Friday night, ICE officers arrested four on charges of assaulting law enforcement officers, obstruction and threats, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on X. Newark police, meanwhile, said they a Seattle man was charged with criminal mischief for smashing car windows.

“No one has the right to come into our city, destroy personal property, or incite violence,” Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda posted on social media. “Think twice before coming to Newark with any other agenda than to protest peacefully.”

One law enforcement official was charged with stealing $10,000 worth of camera equipment from an Associated Press photojournalist who had been injured while covering the standoff. The journalist, Angelina Katsanis, was struck in the knee by a wood beam during a clash between police and demonstrators. She sought medical attention and used a geo-tracking device to trace her missing gear to his home, the state’s attorney general said Thursday.

Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill was initially reluctant to intervene in the growing protests. But as the violence intensified, she declared the situation had “grown unsafe” and “unacceptable” and called in the state police to restore order.

State troopers set up designated protest zones and vehicle checkpoints as ICE officers who had been stationed in front of the detention center agreed to stand down.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, meanwhile, imposed a 9 p.m. curfew and sent in city police to enforce it.

But just a week later, the Democrat said the city would scale back its police presence, saying arrests had dropped and he was reluctant to continue spending tax dollars to guard a privately owned facility.

The state’s attorney general filed a lawsuit this week against Geo Group, alleging that the facility denied state health inspectors “full access” to investigate allegations.

Anti-ICE protesters disperse during clashes with law enforcement officers outside the Delaney Hall detention center on Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)