DE Myles Garrett (12.19.25)
Myles, you have talked a lot about how you’re feeling and everything. Do you feel just in general, this has been the best all in all, wholistically, headspace, maybe in your career?
“For the most part, yeah. I think it’s one of my better years as far as, you know, mentally and physically. So I can’t complain and take it as a blessing and try to make the most out of it.”
Myles, what about the challenge of trying to sack Josh Allen? Everyone’s like he’s like Derrick Henry or a fullback.
“Yeah, I mean, the guy’s unbelievable and what he can do at the quarterback position and with the ball, in general. There’s no one like him, so it’ll be a fun matchup. He’s the reigning MVP for a reason, so we’ll have to stop him. We’ll have to stop that running game, and we’ll have to try and make him one dimensional, but, you know, that’s a hell of a dimension to have.”
I know you want the sack record to come in a win, but would it mean something special to do it against a guy like Allen, who’s an MVP?
“Absolutely. I mean, he’s a gunslinger himself, so he’s the kind of guy that, guess you would say, Mike got those years ago. I think it’s a bit of a funny comparison because those guys have similar styles, and, you know, me and Mike have been compared before, but, yeah, it would mean a lot to go against him because he’s very special, you know, and I have a lot of admiration for what he can do with a football.”
There’s no agreement that he’s going to go down for you, right?
“Not quite.”
Is there any extra juice chasing it at home?
“Yeah, I want to get in front of the home fans. Most of all, I want to get the win. You know, I don’t want it to be, you know, some emotional conflict between, you know, me getting it and we’re getting our tails whooped or you know, we’re down at the end of the game. So, I want to be able to share a joyous moment for everybody.”
That being said, Kevin said that you’re still for the team. How hard has that been throughout the end of the season, knowing you guys are out of playoff contention to kind of compartmentalize and do that?
“Not hard at all. I mean, I selfishly want to win and I think everyone should be selfish in that matter. I think when everyone has that mindset, it becomes a team goal. So I want us all to share in that together.”
Myles, you mentioned it a few times – the TFL record as well, as much as we’ve asked you about the sack record, that’s sort of at the forefront of everyone’s mind. How much is that also something that you’re thinking about with a couple games left?
“I probably think about that one a little bit more because I’m further away and they’re a little bit harder to get. You can’t get any halves, you can’t be late and you can get a sack with no gain, can’t get a TFL with no gain. So a little bit difficult in their own right to get, but they also are just very beneficial to the defense and what we’re trying to do to win games. So I want to be able to just make negative plays happen for the defense.”
Myles, thinking about the last few years of you playing in Jim’s (Schwartz) defense, like, what has it been like to play for him? And I mean, guys keep talking about how motivated he keeps everyone. Even if the wins and losses aren’t where you want them and everything like that.
“Wins and losses aren’t where we want them for sure. It’s tough. I wish we could figure it all out a little bit sooner, but to play for Jim has been an honor and a privilege. He’s a great coach. He’s been a great man of character and a great leader. I just appreciate the fact that I’ve been able to be coached by him. He’s helped elevate my game and take it to the heights we see now.”
Myles, we talked to Mike Bloomgren today, and he was praising Joel Bitonio for his leadership. And obviously you’ve been around Joel since you came to the league. I mean, I guess, what can you say about Joel and what it’s been like being a teammate of his and what he’s brought to just his entire locker room.
“He’s a rock that everybody leans on. You know, he’s just steady and consistent. He’s always the same. So love seeing that big old smile on him. But, you know, every time he’s in the game, you never see him put his head down. You always see him attack every day like he attacks defensive players. He just stays consistent, you know, character in the locker room. And anytime he goes out there, you just feel a little more comfortable.”
Do you remember that training camp where he had to kind of kick out to left tackle and you were going against him?
“I do. And I remember for the first two days, I thought it was so awkward going against them because it was just a completely different setting. And y’all talking, saying I was looking bad. And I was like, damn, I am looking bad. And then I figured it out, and I started feeling better. I was like, I started to realize, like, man, there are different sets and people do different things and that helped, you know, elevate how much I have to study and grow as a player. And I appreciate him giving me a bit of a wake up call and helping me learn.”
Kevin (Stefanski) was talking earlier today about the degree of difficulty of what you’re doing. You’re seeing fewer pass rush opportunities, but you’re still chasing this record. How much pride do you take in that part of it?
“I mean, you can only make the most of the opportunities that you get. I’m not asking for more. Hopefully I don’t get any less, but I’m just going out there and playing the game I can play. I can’t complain. I’m getting lesser opportunities than other guys. Just gotta go out there and make plays, you know, if you want to see more, then you gotta earn more.”
You’ve been pretty vocal about your goals throughout your career, except for when we start talking about greatest ever, you seem to have a different approach to that. You’ve said in the past, I think, like, you have too much respect for the guys who have come before you. Where does that mindset come from?
“They paved the way. I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. I wouldn’t be the player that I am without the Von Millers. Go as far back as, you know, Deacon (Jones), LT (Lawrence Taylor), Reggie (White), you know, all those guys and many more. I grew up watching them and taking things for them. And you can’t compare our game to them. It’s dramatically different. And so are the rules and the things that we’re allowed to do and that we’re privy to now, they just didn’t have the access to that. And it goes both ways. So, comparing generations and decades is fun. It’s a cool discussion to have. But, you know, just being able to play dominant football, that’s all I want to do.
I want to be the best of my generation because I can only speak for this generation of players and what we’re able to go through and who we’re able to challenge and beat. At the end of the day, everything else is just hearsay and conjecture.”
Myles, I know you’d like to get this at home. How much will it mean to you to also set this record in front of the fans in Cleveland, as opposed to if you had been somewhere else. You spent all this time here, does it make it that much more meaningful that Cleveland fans who have supported you all this time will be able to celebrate this with you?
“Isn’t that the same question?”
My question was you were almost not here, but you are here in Cleveland. How much doesn’t that mean to you?
“I am here. I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to play in front of these fans who’ve supported me through everything, the seasons up and down. And just all the things that have gone on with my career and the Browns team in general for my last nine years, for them to still turn out and still support me and still want to be a part of this ride in general is special to me, and I’m hoping they still turn out and have energy and love for us as they always do.”
And have you felt the love from these fans all season long? I know it was a tough offseason for some of them, but it seems like they’re completely on board.
“Tough season for everybody, so they got to get in line on that one. But it is nice to see them still turn out. I’ve been here for years where I wanted to see more, and then I’ve also been here for a couple years in which this place has been really packed and I was just ecstatic to be a part of an environment like that. And we want to continue to make them proud however I can and we can, and keep on putting butts in seats and putting smiles on faces.”
During the game last week, they mentioned that you had surgery in the offseason to get the plates out of your feet from when you were younger. Just how much better does that feel, and was it a long recovery process?
“I wouldn’t say it was too long. It wasn’t like it was like the recovery of like a major injury, but it was long enough for me. I couldn’t get back to the Myles that we’re used to now for a couple months, so that was tough to deal with. I don’t like to sit still, so getting me in one place and having to do all this rehab was difficult enough, but it was just part of the process. But being able to stand, to walk around, to do anything without pain – I’ll take that any day.”
You feel like it makes a big difference?
“Absolutely. I mean, it was like three games of the season last year where I was debating whether I was going to be playing in games after that. So, it’s a blessing to be where I am now, feeling as good as I am at this point in the season.”
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