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Rams' Jared Verse Feared He Was Getting 'Fired' Before Making First Pro Bowl
Before Los Angeles Rams rookie Jared Verse learned he made his first career Pro Bowl, he was plagued with worry. He had woken up from a nap, only to see he missed three calls from head coach Sean McVay. Immediately, Verse feared the worst—that he was getting cut.
"I took a nap after practice and I got three calls with Coach McVay. I'm like 'oh s---, I'm getting fired,'" Verse recalled on Thursday. "Oh my God. I don't know what I did, I thought I was doing pretty good. I called him, he's like, 'yeah, you made the Pro Bowl.' It was really surreal though, it felt amazing. Relief was first though, but it felt good."
"I thought I was getting fired."@JaredVerse1 missed a few calls before finding out he made the Pro Bowl. 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/Xm7ZudVIuB
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 2, 2025
Instead, Verse learned he had made the Pro Bowl. Verse was the only Rams player named to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games, and was one of just three rookies to earn Pro Bowl honors this season, along with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.
The No. 19 overall pick out of Florida State has recorded 65 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles over his rookie season. Throughout the season, Verse has been one of the leaders among rookies and edge rushers in pressuring the quarterback.
According to @NextGenStats, OLB Jared Verse (@JaredVerse1) has a league-leading 23.6% pressure rate through Week 7.
— Los Angeles Rams PR (@TheLARamsPR) October 22, 2024
Verse became the sixth player to record at least five quarterback hits in a game this season. Verse is one-of-nine rookies since 2000 to accomplish the feat and… pic.twitter.com/cplGxuzAAA
Rams edge rusher Jared Verse currently leads all rookies in pressures (45), pressure rate (20.4%), and sacks (4.5) through 10 weeks.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 12, 2024
His 20.4% pressure rate is the 3rd-highest among all defenders and the 2nd-highest by a rookie since 2018 (min. 200 pas rushes).#RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/AN4Z4yACaB
Per ESPN analytics, Verse ranks 12th among all edge rushers in pass rush win rate, and sixth among edge rushers in run stop win rate. Among rookies, Verse ranks first in quarterback hits and tackles for loss. Thanks to his impact on the field, Verse is one of the favorites to earn another prestigious honor this season—the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
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Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.