Myles Garrett just broke the NFL's all-time single-season sack record, and he's not going anywhere. During the 2025 season, Garrett recorded 23 sacks, surpassing the marks previously held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. The Cleveland Browns pass rusher also picked up his second AP Defensive Player of the Year award to go along with the one he won in 2023.
Through 2025, his career numbers sit at 125.5 sacks, 149 tackles for loss and 23 forced fumbles. Seven Pro Bowl selections and five First-team All-Pro nods round out a resume that already has him in the conversation for the greatest defensive player of his generation.
Despite all that, Cleveland has not been a consistent playoff contender, and questions about Garrett's long-term future with the franchise have followed him for years. A four-year extension put those talks to rest last offseason. Until this week, when a contract revision quietly set off a fresh wave of speculation.
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When the news broke, it did not take long for people around the league to start connecting dots. One team reached out to ESPN's Adam Schefter directly, raising the possibility that a trade could be in play. Schefter went straight to Cleveland for answers.
"Right away, I called the Browns. I'm like, 'What's going on here?' And they're like, 'We are 100%, definitely not trading him,'" Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show. "I'm like, 'Okay.' Now I will say this. They were adamant about it. And they're like, 'Don't even bring it up and dignify the fact, because we're not trading him.'"
The Browns and Garrett formally agreed to revised contract language that took effect Tuesday. The changes give Cleveland more salary cap flexibility in the coming years while also adjusting Garrett's option bonus structure in a way that works in his favor.
Under the original deal, option bonuses for the 2026 through 2028 seasons had to be exercised by March 25 each year, the 15th day of the league year. The new terms push that deadline to seven days before the start of each regular season. On top of that, $8 million from Garrett's base salaries in 2029 and 2030 has been moved into roster bonuses, set to be paid out early in each of those seasons.
Schefter made clear the Browns never flinched on that message. According to the organization, the revised language was a straightforward financial move, nothing more. Cap flexibility on Cleveland's end and a better bonus structure for Garrett. No blockbuster trade in the works.
Cleveland shut it down fast, but the conversation started anyway. For now, the record-breaking pass rusher stays put.
