Myles Garrett is an American professional football defensive end widely regarded as the most dominant defensive player of his generation. He gained public attention in June 2026 after the Cleveland Browns traded him to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster deal involving star pass rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks, following a nine-year career in Cleveland where he broke the NFL single-season sack record.
Quick Facts
Full Name: Myles Lorenz Garrett
Age: 30 (born December 29, 1995)
Nationality: American
Occupation: Professional Football Player (Defensive End)
Known For: Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year; NFL single-season sack record (23 in 2025)
Marital Status: Single
Children: None
Early Life and Background
Garrett was born and raised in Arlington, Texas, where he attended Martin High School. As a senior, he recorded 88 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, and 20.5 sacks, earning him the ranking as the No. 1 player in the country by 247Sports. He committed to Texas A&M University, where he played three seasons and recorded 145 tackles, 48.5 tackles for loss, and 32.5 sacks over 36 games. His older brother, Sean Williams, was a first-round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Career and Achievements
The Cleveland Browns selected Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. On his first NFL snap, he recorded a sack, foreshadowing a career of dominance. Over nine seasons in Cleveland, he appeared in 134 games, recording 125.5 sacks, 412 tackles, 149 tackles for loss, and 23 forced fumbles.
In 2025, Garrett broke the NFL single-season sack record with 23 sacks, surpassing the previous mark of 22.5 shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. He became the first player in NFL history to record at least 12 sacks in six consecutive seasons (2020-2025) and is the only player with double-digit sacks in each of the past eight seasons.
Garrett is a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2023, 2025), a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, and a six-time first-team All-Pro. In 2025, he was the unanimous choice for Defensive Player of the Year after his record-breaking campaign.
Major Event or Controversy
In 2019, Garrett was suspended six games for striking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the head with a swung helmet during a game . He later expressed regret over the incident and worked to rebuild his reputation.
After the 2024 season, Garrett made a public trade demand, expressing frustration with the Browns’ lack of contention. The Browns instead signed him to a four-year, $204.8 million contract extension in March 2025, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Despite the extension, the Browns traded him on June 1, 2026, after agreeing to a contract modification that deferred bonus payments.
Why He Is In the News
Garrett is in the news after the Browns traded him to the Los Angeles Rams on June 1, 2026, for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick . He joins reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford, making the Rams the first team with the league’s reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year on the same roster . Garrett wrote an emotional goodbye to Cleveland, saying: “Loving you is easy, leaving you is the hard part” .
Conclusion
Myles Garrett is a generational pass rusher who broke the NFL’s single-season sack record and won two Defensive Player of the Year awards during nine seasons in Cleveland. Now traded to the Los Angeles Rams, he joins a perennial contender seeking to win his first Super Bowl while leaving behind a legacy as one of the most dominant defensive players in NFL history.
