BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett has sacked 31 different quarterbacks during his eight-year NFL career.
On Friday, the four-time All-Pro first-team selection had to stand in his own pocket and take the pressure of fielding questions about his decision to sign an extension with the Browns instead of trying to follow through on his trade request.
“I think I had some frustration. And you know, I feel like that helped us grow and have conversations that were difficult, but needed to be had,” Garrett said.
Garrett’s four-year contract extension has an average salary of $40 million and makes him the highest-paid nonquarterback in NFL history.
The deal ended a month-long saga that began during Super Bowl week when the 2023 season’s defensive player of the year asked for a trade. The Browns were firm, however, that they would not entertain offers from other teams.
Garrett said he believes the trade request and voicing his frustration on radio row during Super Bowl week about the Browns’ 3-14 season was the catalyst that prompted more conversations with general manager Andrew Berry about the franchise’s future. Berry watched Friday’s news conference from the back of the team’s media room.
“I had some frustration, and I feel like that helped us grow and have conversations that were difficult but needed to be had, and that created a little bit more discourse, helped build some relationships and reaffirmed them,” Garrett said. “Now I feel like we’re in a better place, and now we can move on and grow from there.”
Garrett also said that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam largely staying out of the discussions allowed him and Berry to hammer things out and get on the same page.
With an extension that includes $122.8 million guaranteed and a total value of $204.8 million, there is a prevailing opinion among Browns fans that it ended up being more about the money. Garrett knows that is something he will have to disprove.
“If it’s about the money, then I can just pack it in and not go out there and give my best effort. But I plan to be the best person possible in this locker room, be the best leader possible and as well as dominating on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays,” he said. “Giving everything for those kinds of wins and what I’ve done year in and year out, that really proves it to the fans. No amount of words will.”
The Browns have only been to the playoffs twice since selecting Garrett with the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. He has 102 1/2 sacks in his career, including 14 this past season.
The extension means many will also expect Garrett to become more of a team leader as well as one of the Browns’ leading recruiters of free agents.
Garrett was in the team complex Thursday to meet with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, who reached two Super Bowls and won a title a decade ago with the Seattle Seahawks and has since played for the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The New York Giants were set to meet with Wilson on Friday.
Garrett said he brought up coming to the Browns with Wilson, 36, during the Pro Bowl Games.
“I definitely think he’d be a valuable asset as a leader, as a mentor to those young guys,” Garrett said. “Veteran leadership can’t be understated, and I think he definitely has some juice left at the position. He has plenty of arm left, he’s very smart and he knows what he’s capable of. So he’d be a valuable asset.”