Would Jared Verse rather win 1 Super Bowl or 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards?
Verse: 'Let the team see this. I'll play it in the team meeting.'
Jared Verse has only been in the NFL for one season but he's already started a trophy collection. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, quickly solidifying himself as one of the best overall defenders in the league – regardless of age or experience.
Heading into his second season, Verse is a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The Los Angeles Rams are also serious Super Bowl contenders. With his talent and the Rams' status as perennial contenders, Verse seems destined to win at least one Defensive Player of the Year award and potentially one Super Bowl, too.
But what would he rather have? Four Defensive Player of the Year trophies or one Lombardi? He made that decision during an episode of 'Spa Day' from Whistle.
'We don't even got to talk about it. Super Bowl all the way,' he said with conviction.
But then he started to think about it. And his mind changed.
'Hell no, I ain't even going to lie to you. Four? Four?! Get that out of here, I'm going with that,' he said. 'Two or three, I would've been like, 'Oh yeah, championship all day.''
Verse isn't even afraid to let his teammates and coaches know he'd rather have four Defensive Player of the Year awards over one Super Bowl. He'll tell them himself.
'Let the team see this. I'll play it in the team meeting,' he joked.
On first thought, it's easy to pick the Super Bowl like Verse did. That's what every player dreams of winning, from the time they're playing youth football to getting drafted into the NFL.
But when you really think about it, four Defensive Player of the Year awards would all but ensure Hall of Fame status. No player has ever won it more than three times, with Lawrence Taylor and Aaron Donald tied for the all-time record.
If Verse were to win the award four times, he'd be a first-ballot Hall of Famer just like Taylor was and Donald will be. One Super Bowl has never guaranteed a player first-ballot Hall of Fame status.
It might not be the popular pick, but it's hard to blame Verse for taking the personal accolades and an inevitable gold jacket over one ring.
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