Myles Garrett Bio
Myles Lorenz Garrett (born December 29, 1995) is an American professional football defensive end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and earned unanimous All-American honors in 2016. Selected first overall by the Browns in the 2017 NFL draft, Garrett is the team’s all-time career sacks leader.
Garrett has built a reputation as one of the most disruptive pass rushers of his generation, combining rare size, speed, and power at the defensive end position. He has received seven Pro Bowl selections and four first-team All-Pro honors. In 2023, he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league’s top-ranked defense.
Early Life and Background
Myles Lorenz Garrett was born on December 29, 1995, in Arlington, Texas. He grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and attended Martin High School, where he lettered in football, basketball, and track. As a senior, he recorded 19.5 sacks and received the 2013 Landry Award, which recognizes the top high school football player in the region.
Garrett was rated as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com and ranked as the second-best overall player in his recruiting class. He was also a state qualifier in track and field, posting top throws of 16.01 meters in the shot put and 50.84 meters in the discus. In October 2013, he committed to play college football at Texas A&M University.
Path to American Football
Garrett arrived at Texas A&M as the number two overall prospect in the nation and made an immediate impact as a true freshman in 2014. He broke the Aggies’ freshman sack record of 5.5 in only six games and surpassed Jadeveon Clowney’s Southeastern Conference freshman sack record of eight in just nine games. He finished his first season with 11.5 sacks, second in the SEC, and was named a consensus Freshman All-American.
As a sophomore, Garrett led the SEC with 12.5 sacks and earned first-team All-American honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Football Writers Association of America. His junior year was limited by a high-ankle sprain, but he still recorded 8.5 sacks and was voted a unanimous consensus All-American. After the 2016 season, Garrett declared for the NFL draft, finishing his college career as one of the most decorated defensive players in Texas A&M history.
Myles Garrett Career
Early Career (2017)
The Cleveland Browns selected Garrett with the first overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft, making him the highest draft pick in Texas A&M history. The Browns signed him to a fully guaranteed four-year, $30.41 million contract that included a $20.25 million signing bonus. He was named a starting defensive end alongside Emmanuel Ogbah to begin the regular season.
A high ankle sprain sidelined Garrett for the first four games of his rookie year, but he returned with two sacks against the New York Jets in his NFL debut. Despite injuries limiting him to 11 games, Garrett finished his rookie season with seven sacks, leading the Browns in that category. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
Cleveland Browns Breakthrough (2018-2020)
Garrett’s second season marked his arrival as an elite pass rusher. He started all 16 games and recorded 13.5 sacks, ranking sixth in the NFL, along with 44 combined tackles, 29 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection and was named a defensive captain for the Browns.
The 2020 season represented a major step forward. Garrett signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension in July and delivered a dominant performance that included AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors for October. He was named to the Pro Bowl and selected to the 2020 All-Pro Team as the Browns returned to playoff contention.
Record-Setting Seasons (2021-2023)
In 2021, Garrett posted career highs with 16 sacks and 51 combined tackles. He set a new Browns single-season sack record with 15 sacks through 14 games and earned a first-team All-Pro selection. He was also the first Browns player to receive a 99 rating in the Madden NFL video game.
Garrett followed up with another 16-sack season in 2022, earning another Pro Bowl nod and finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. In 2023, he recorded 14 sacks and forced a career-high four fumbles, leading the NFL’s top-ranked defense. At the 13th Annual NFL Honors, he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the first time and earned his fifth Pro Bowl selection along with his third first-team All-Pro honor.
Cleveland Browns Era (2024-Present)
Garrett continued his dominance in 2024, finishing with 14 sacks, 47 tackles, and a league-leading 22 tackles-for-loss. He earned his sixth Pro Bowl nomination and fourth first-team All-Pro selection. After Cleveland finished with a 3-14 record, Garrett requested a trade in February 2025, citing a desire to win.
Instead of trading him, the Browns signed Garrett to a four-year, $160 million contract extension in March 2025, with $123.5 million guaranteed and an average annual value of $40 million. The deal includes a no-trade clause that keeps him in Cleveland through the 2030 NFL season. In 2025, he set a new franchise record with five sacks in a single game against the New England Patriots and later broke his own single-season sack record with his 18th sack of the year against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Driving Style and Strengths
Garrett combines elite athleticism with rare size and explosiveness for a defensive end. His ability to win at the line of scrimmage with speed, power, and refined hand technique makes him a threat against both the run and the pass. His relentless motor and consistency have made him a cornerstone of the Browns defense and one of the most feared pass rushers in the league.
Notable Events and Milestones
Garrett’s most controversial moment came in November 2019, when he was suspended indefinitely for striking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with a helmet during a late-game altercation. The suspension, the longest for a single on-field incident in NFL history, cost him the remainder of the 2019 season. He was reinstated in February 2020 and has since rebuilt his standing as a leader on and off the field.
Myles Garrett Career Wins
While defensive stats differ from race wins, Garrett’s career is measured in sacks, Pro Bowl selections, and All-Pro honors. He holds the Cleveland Browns franchise record for career sacks and single-season sacks. He has also earned seven Pro Bowl selections, four first-team All-Pro nods, two second-team All-Pro selections, and the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
Major Accolades
Garrett has been recognized as one of the league’s premier defensive players for nearly a decade. His Pro Bowl selections came in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. His first-team All-Pro selections came in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024, with second-team honors in 2018 and 2022. His 2023 Defensive Player of the Year award was the crowning achievement of his career to date.
Myles Garrett Family
Family Background and Athletics Lineage
Garrett comes from an athletic family. His half-brother, Sean Williams, was a standout basketball player at Boston College and was selected 17th overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. His older sister, Brea Garrett, was a track and field athlete at Texas A&M, winning the 2014 NCAA title in the 20-pound weight throw and becoming the first weight throw champion in Aggie history.
Personal Life
Garrett is known for his interests off the field, including writing poetry and working on a children’s book about dinosaurs. In 2021, a mural of Garrett as a young child with his grandmother Juanita was unveiled in the Playhouse Square district in downtown Cleveland. In October 2023, he purchased a minority ownership stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA, where he also serves as an ambassador. As of 2025, he is in a relationship with Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim.
2025 Season Performance
Garrett entered the 2025 season fresh off a record-setting contract extension that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL. He quickly made his presence felt, setting a new franchise record with five sacks in a single game against the New England Patriots in Week 8, though the Browns ultimately lost that contest. His dominance continued as he climbed toward another historic sack total.
In Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Garrett recorded three sacks, bringing his season total to 18 and breaking his own franchise single-season sack record. Through the early portion of the season, Garrett has remained the centerpiece of the Browns defense and one of the leading pass-rushing forces in the NFL. With a no-trade clause in place and a long-term commitment from the organization, he is positioned to remain a focal point of Cleveland’s rebuild for years to come.