Myles Garrett will run out at the MCG on Friday for his first game as a Ram, and asked again what tipped the move, he stayed on the theme he has hammered since June: the head coach.

“He truly sets the culture every single day,” Garrett said this week, in a line the club shared on its own channels ahead of the Week 1 trip to Australia.

The phrasing is not new. At training camp in July, Garrett reached for a college comparison to explain what it feels like inside McVay’s building.

“You hope to have those relationships like you had in college. You had a lot of people coming from a lot of different places for the first time and the culture was set by the head coach, and it kind of feels like that now with Sean,” Garrett told reporters at Loyola Marymount.

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“He’s so passionate about the game. He’s so involved in everything from offense, defense to special teams, and that kind of thing is infectious.”

A trade the Rams built the roster around

The Rams paid a franchise-altering price to land him. According to ESPN, Cleveland received edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick.

Garrett then agreed to a restructured five-year deal worth $208.2 million, an average of $41.6 million a year, keeping the same no-trade clause he had in Cleveland, Bleacher Report reported.

The bet on Los Angeles is clear enough: pairing the reigning Defensive Player of the Year with a coach who has already delivered a Super Bowl and turned two other seasons into deep runs.

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McVay backs the fit

McVay has been careful in the run-up to the opener, but not shy about what he thinks Garrett brings.

“He’s looked great. We’ve been smart with Myles, like I’ve kind of told you guys, but his impact has been tremendous, his overall vibe, what kind of teammate he’s been. And so looking forward to getting him out there with the guys and being a great factor for us,” McVay said, confirming to reporters that Garrett would be available for the 49ers.

Off the field, McVay has been just as pointed about what he saw in the trade target.

“He’s got a lot of range, a lot of different interests. He’s a great human being, comes from a great family,” McVay told Yahoo Sports last month.

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Ready to go in Melbourne

Garrett came into the final week of preparation carrying a knee issue that had slowed him in camp, but both player and coach have said it will not limit him on Friday. He is set to line up at outside linebacker for the Rams, wearing No. 95, in the first regular-season NFL game held in Australia.

Kickoff at the MCG is 10:35 a.m. local time.

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