Season’s Over: Detroit Lions Warned After Blockbuster Myles Garrett Trade
Dec 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) is seen during warmups prior to the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Sep 7, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Dec 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) is seen during warmups prior to the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Sep 7, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The Detroit Lions have spent the last several years building one of the NFL’s most complete rosters. However, one analyst believes that the recent trade involving star pass rusher Myles Garrett has changed the NFC’s landscape, increasing the trouble for the Lions.
Garrett was traded to the Los Angeles Rams on June 1 for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick. After the Rams' move, John Maakaron from Detroit Lions on SI has now admitted that he believes the season is over for the Lions.
“My first thought was, 'Lions season’s over,'" he warned Detroit in a video on June 1. "This is crazy that the Rams, in less need, are acting in the way that kind of a lot of fans, myself included, would want Brad Holmes to act.”
CINCINNATI, OH - JANUARY 04: Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett 95 reacts after breaking the single-season sack record during the game against the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals on January 4, 2026, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA JAN 04 Browns at Bengals EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260104194
CINCINNATI, OH - JANUARY 04: Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett 95 reacts after breaking the single-season sack record during the game against the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals on January 4, 2026, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA JAN 04 Browns at Bengals EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260104194
The Rams have taken a win-now approach this offseason. Building around an experienced core, they strengthened their roster with the additions of Trent McDuffie and Garrett.
After falling to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, Los Angeles has made it clear that it is all-in on chasing a Super Bowl and dethroning its division rival.
The Rams' aggressive move only adds to the challenge facing the Lions. Detroit enters the season with lofty expectations as well. But the two teams are not scheduled to meet during the regular season. As a result, any showdown would likely come in the postseason, where the stakes will be higher.
While Maakaron went on to question why the Lions did not make the move, he also understood the situation.
“When reporters ask Brad, you can be aggressive, and you have a chance to add a talent like Myles Garrett, you say to yourself, 'Well that’s the guy'. But you would have had to give up Aiden Hutchinson, a first-round pick next year, to land a player of his caliber,” continued the analyst.
He added that while it would have been nice to see Garrett with the Lions, the cap situation would have made it difficult.
With this move, the Rams may have become a bigger contender for the Super Bowl than the Lions.
Threat for Detroit Lions as Los Angeles Rams Have Made Themselves The A-Side In The NFC
Detroit remains one of the NFC's strongest teams. However, Garrett’s arrival in Los Angeles adds another obstacle in the crowded NFC race. The Rams have sent a message around the league, while the Lions are still in the same situation, says Maakaron.
“The Rams are one of those teams that have declared their intention to be Super Bowl caliber," he said. "You hope the Detroit Lions are in that same position, but man, it feels like a gut punch.”
If Garrett produces at the level he produced in 2025, where he unanimously won his second career AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the Rams may have just made the best move of the offseason.
Besides Garrett, they have players like Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams and Puka Nacua returning on offense.
The Rams defeated the Lions 41-34 in a competitive matchup late last season.
How do you think the Myles Garrett trade will affect the Lions? Let us know in the comments.
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Written by
Dhruv Vishnu Nair
Edited by
Soheli Tarafdar