With the Los Angeles Rams acquiring star edge rusher Myles Garrett, we look at how the biggest trades for NFL defensive stars have fared historically.
In the wake of the Los Angeles Rams’ seismic trade to acquire reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and single-season sacks record-setter Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns, it’s time to put the move in historical context.
Both in terms of where it ranks in the moment but also in looking at what history says about how such mega moves for defensive stars have panned out over time.
The Rams, already considered Super Bowl favorites by the oddsmakers before this week, traded away an emerging edge rusher talent in Jared Verse along with a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick in exchange for the 30-year-old Garrett fresh off setting the NFL record with 23 sacks last season.
Call it recency bias, but it’s hard not to put this trade at the top of the list in terms of biggest moves ever for a singular defensive player.
But the fun part about such lists is the debate they spur, so here goes …
10 Biggest NFL Trades For Defensive Stars
1. EDGE Myles Garrett Traded From Browns To Rams (2026)
Recency bias be damned, how does anything top this?
Garrett is a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Nine players in NFL history have won AP Defensive Player of the Year multiple times — Garrett is the only one of them to ever be traded, let alone coming off the best season of his career.
(Reggie White, Bruce Smith and J.J. Watt were the only others to change teams, doing so as free agents.)
As noted, Garrett broke the single-season record with 23 sacks last year while also setting a career-high with 33 tackles for loss and tying his best mark with 60 total tackles. He’s made the Pro Bowl and earned first- or second-team All-Pro honors in all seven seasons in which he’s played at least 12 games. In the last three seasons, he won his first Defensive Player of the Year award, finished third in the voting the next year and then won it again.
Overall, Garrett has 125.5 sacks in nine seasons, which is tied for 28th all time, but he’s only 16 away from Michael Strahan at No. 10 and absolutely has a shot at chasing down Smith’s all-time record of 200 before he’s finished.
There is no more dominant defensive force in the NFL right now, he’s at the absolute peak of his powers, and he just joined what was already arguably the best roster in the league.
But the bounty the Rams paid to get Garrett is also part of why this trade tops the list.
Verse was the No. 19 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, won Defensive Rookie of the Year that season, has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two years and had a career-high 7.5 sacks in 2025.
Add in the three draft picks and this was a solid haul for a Brown teams that is rebuilding, doesn’t know who its quarterback of the future is yet and wouldn’t be positioned to maximize Garrett’s remaining peak seasons anyway.
2. EDGE Khalil Mack Traded From Raiders To Bears (2018)
Mack was just 27 years old, had already won NFL Defensive Player of the Year, made three Pro Bowls and earned two first-team All-Pro honors in four seasons with the Raiders when he was traded to the Bears.
After holding out the entire preseason in 2018, Mack was sent to Chicago along with 2020 fifth- and seventh-round picks in exchange for first-round picks in 2019 and 2020, a 2019 sixth-rounder and a 2020 third-rounder.
It marked the first time in 30 years that a defensive player was traded for two first-round picks.
(The Colts traded two first-rounders to the Seahawks for four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Fredd Young in 1988 — it was a disastrous move as Young was beset by injuries and declining production in his three seasons with Indianapolis before retiring).
Here’s the list of defensive players who were acquired via trade for two first-round picks:
Given that the Mack trade opened the floodgates to such a move after three decades is as big a reason as any why it ranks No. 2 on this list — and because of how consequential it felt in the moment based on Mack’s stature at that point.
But the Bears ultimately didn’t get great return on their investment — also factoring in the six-year, $141-million extension given to make Mack the highest-paid defensive player in league history at the time.
Mack finished second in NFL DPOY voting in his first season in Chicago, posting 12.5 sacks, 47 tackles, 6 forced fumbles and even an interception returned for touchdown as the Bears went 12-4 and won the NFC North (before losing in the wildcard round).
But he never matched those heights again and the team failed to post a winning record in his final three seasons there.
Mack totaled 8.5 and 9 sacks the next two seasons while making the Pro Bowl both years before being limited to seven games in 2021 due to a foot injury. After that season, he was traded along with a sixth-round pick to the Chargers for a second-round pick.
He did make the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons with the Chargers, including a turn-back-the-clock 17-sack effort in 2023. But he wasn’t the transformational addition the Bears expected him to be at the time of that trade.
3. EDGE Micah Parsons Traded From Cowboys To Packers (2025)
It’s too soon to fully evaluate the impact of this trade as Parsons was limited to 14 games last season before a torn ACL and meniscus shut him down and stole all of the Packers’ momentum.
But the trade itself was every bit as big in the moment as the first two on this list, as the Cowboys reached an impasse in a contract standoff with their best player and traded him just before the start of last season to the Packers for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Similarly to Mack, Parsons immediately signed a massive contract extension (four years, $188 million) making him the highest-paid defensive player in the league.
Cowboys fans may never let owner/general manager Jerry Jones off the hook for fumbling the Parsons situation and the star’s relationship with the team.
In four seasons in Dallas, Parsons totaled 52.5 sacks and 63 tackles for loss. In his three full seasons there (before being limited to 13 games in 2024), he won Defensive Rookie of the Year, earned first-team All-Pro twice and second-team All-Pro the other season and finished top-3 in Defensive Player of the Year voting each season.
It’s just so rare that such a foundational franchise cornerstone at a premium position gets traded away.
Like with Mack, Parsons was traded at the seeming peak of his prime. Despite the injury last season, Parsons was so impactful (41 tackles, 12.5 sacks in 13 full games) that he still finished third in DPOY voting.
Unfortunately for the Packers, his injury will also impact the 2026 season as Parsons acknowledged he won’t return before mid-October.
4. CB Champ Bailey Traded From Washington To Broncos (2004)
Major NFL trades for established stars felt even more rare two decades ago, and this one was especially unique in that it included two of the game’s biggest names swapping teams. That just really doesn’t happen.
Bailey had finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and then reeled off four straight Pro Bowl seasons (earning two second-team All-Pro honors) for Washington while establishing himself as one of the very best cornerbacks in the league.
So it was a stunning move during the 2004 offseason when Washington sent Bailey and a second-round pick to Denver for running back Clinton Portis, who had started his career with back-to-back 1,500-yard rushing seasons.
Who won the trade?
The Broncos ultimately, though both had highlights for their new teams.
Bailey played 10 seasons in Denver, earning eight more Pro Bowl selections, three first-team All-Pro and two second-team All-Pro honors there on his way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In Bailey’s first three seasons with the Broncos, he totaled 21 interceptions (3 returned for TDs), averaged 77.7 tackles for season and made first-team All-Pro each of those years.
Portis played seven seasons in Washington, mixing in four more big years (between 1,262-1,516 rushing yards) around three injury-shortened seasons of eight or fewer games.
5. EDGE Jared Allen Traded From Chiefs To Vikings (2008)
Allen was a late-bloomer and a 2004 draft steal for the Chiefs in the fourth round out of Idaho State. He made an immediate impact and totaled 43 sacks in four seasons for Kansas City, including a league-leading 15.5 in 2007.
A contract dispute ensued as the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Allen while he pushed for a long-term deal, ultimately leading Kansas City to trade him to the Vikings for a first-round pick, two third-rounders and a pick swap in the sixth round.
The Vikings got everything they could have hoped for out of that deal as Allen racked up 85.5 sacks in six seasons in Minnesota. That included a league-high 22 in 2011 as he finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and earned first-team All-Pro honors for the fourth time in five years (three of those with the Vikings).
Allen played 16 games in each of his six years with the Vikings, steadily producing off the edge with 14.5, 14.5, 11, 22, 12 and 11.5 sacks before leaving as a free agent to sign with the Bears. Minnesota reached a conference championship game with Allen but only managed three winning seasons overall in his time there.
He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025.
6. CB Jalen Ramsey Traded From Jaguars To Rams (2019)
The Rams are no strangers to being aggressive on the trade market. In fact, they had already traded a first-round pick for a defensive upgrade earlier this offseason in acquiring cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs.
The cost was even higher back in October of 2019 when the Rams traded two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick to the Jaguars for Ramsey. It was a year after Mack became the first defensive player to command two first-rounders in three decades.
Ramsey was already on his way to his third Pro Bowl selection in his first four seasons after being drafted 5th overall by the Jaguars in 2016. Midway through that fourth season, the Rams added Ramsey and he spent the next 3.5 seasons in Los Angeles.
Ramsey made the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons with the Rams, was twice named first-team All-Pro and had an excellent season in 2021 when the Rams won the Super Bowl, tallying 4 interceptions, 16 passes defended, 77 tackles and a career-best 9 tackles for loss in the regular season while playing solidly in the postseason as well.
Given that the Rams won a Super Bowl in that window, they’re probably fine with the price they paid for an elite cornerback.
Ramsey was traded to the Dolphins after the 2022 season for a modest package including a third-round pick.
7. CB Sauce Gardner Traded From Jets To Colts (2025)
This is another one in the too-early-to-evaluate file, but it sure seemed like a bit of a rash move and hefty price for the Colts to pay when they traded two first-round picks last November to the Jets for Gardner.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Gardner won Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned first-team All-Pro honors his first two seasons in 2022-23. He led the league as a rookie with 20 passes defended (along with 2 INTs) and quickly established himself as a lockdown corner.
Given the Ramsey precedent, that was a logical asking price for the Jets, but it didn’t provide any immediate return on investment for the Colts.
Gardner played in just four games for the team, missing a month with a calf strain, as Indianapolis collapsed down the stretch due to key injuries and missed the playoffs.
That meant the 2026 pick they traded away ended up being the No. 15 overall selection, which the Jets used on tight end Kenyon Sadiq, and it’s very possible the Colts aren’t any better this season, meaning another potential top-15 pick for the Jets out of this trade.
Gardner is signed through the 2030 season, but he becomes very expensive near the back end of that deal, due a $29.1-million base salary in 2029-30, per Spotrac.com.
He’ll need to be elite for the Colts to look back on this trade as a win.
8. S Jamal Adams Traded From Jets To Seahawks (2020)
This proved to be a disastrous trade, but it makes the list based on the very significant price paid.
Another on the short list of defensive players traded for two first-round picks, the Seahawks sent two first-rounders and a third-rounder (plus starting safety Bradley McDougald) for Adams and a fourth-round pick.
Adams was just 25 years old at the time and three seasons into his NFL career with first-team and second-team All-Pro selections.
He never made it through a full season with the Seahawks, playing 12, 12, 1 and 9 games in his four years in Seattle before being released.
Adams did have 83 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss in 2020 in his first season with the Seahawks, earning a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro recognition despite playing just those 12 games. He had 87 tackles and 2 INTs the next year. And then it was all downhill.
That was a big L for Seattle, but a very notable trade nonetheless.
9. DT Quinnen Williams Traded From Jets To Cowboys (2025)
Desperation really opens the wallet.
The Cowboys were in the midst of seeing their 2025 season drift into disaster despite one of the best offenses in the league, and made a couple moves at the trade deadline last year to try to salvage their defense.
The big one was sending a 2027 second-round pick, 2026 first-round pick and a depth player (DT Mazi Smith) to the (always) rebuilding Jets for Williams.
The stalwart defensive tackle would make his fourth Pro Bowl last year while PFF graded him the second-best defensive tackle in the NFL. He also received first-team All-Pro honors back in 2022.
He did not, however, change the Cowboys’ defense.
Dallas finished the season giving up the most points and third-most yards in the league.
That said, some notable moves this offseason and in the draft have given fresh hope for the Cowboys to fix their defensive woes, and Williams’ presence in the middle of the defensive line will be an asset in that moving forward.
So the jury isn’t out on this trade either, fully, but the Cowboys couldn’t have asked for any more than they got from the Williams.
10. DT Richard Seymour Traded From Patriots To Raiders (2009)
The Patriots under Bill Belichick never blinked at trading away anyone if he perceived they’d maxed out their value for the team, but it was still a bit of a surprise to see one of the keystones of the Patriots early Super Bowl dynasty dealt away just before the start of the 2009 season.
The Patriots dealt the five-time Pro Bowl, four-time All-Pro selection (three first-team honors) and three-time Super Bowl champ for a future 2011 first-round pick.
Seymour, who was about to turn 30 years old with seemingly a lot of good football left in him, was so caught off guard by the trade he initially refused to report to the Raiders before soon joining the team and playing the final four seasons of his career in Oakland.
We considered the more recent trade of Giants three-time Pro Bowl DT Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals for the 10th overall pick in this recent draft — that’s a strong honorable mention — but Seymour’s stature with the Patriots made that move even more shocking and significant.
