In March, the Cleveland Browns secured Myles Garrett for the long term, locking him into a four-year, $160 million extension that included $123.5 million guaranteed.
The contract extension eased the frostiness that had grown between Garrett and the Browns. After initially requesting a trade citing the desire to win a Super Bowl, Cleveland’s money ended up winning Garrett over.
While Garrett has consistently delivered on the field, the team now expects more from the star edge rusher – specifically in terms of leadership.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam discussed the team’s expectations for Garrett in a recent interview, emphasizing the need for him to step up both on and off the field.
“What we’ve challenged Myles on is, by his practice habits, by his actions, etcetera, to become a real leader of the team,” Haslam said. “And he has said he’d do that and we’re hopeful that he will be.”
Needless to say, Haslam’s comments were quite interesting and seemed to indicate that Garrett’s work-ethic needs improvement.
On the field, the Browns have gotten everything they could ask for from Garrett since selecting him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Over his career, he has posted seven double-digit sack seasons, totaled 102.5 career sacks, earned a Defensive Player of the Year award, been selected to six Pro Bowls, and achieved four All-Pro selections.
Garrett is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career, but the Browns now expect him to take on a more prominent leadership role.
Despite his incredible individual success, the team believes he has room to grow as a mentor and motivator within the locker room.
Interestingly, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic recently reported that Garrett’s leadership development has been hindered by some off-field issues.
According to Lloyd, it’s “well known within the Browns that Garrett is frequently late to the facility… [and] has skipped mandatory team activities on multiple occasions.”
Despite this, Haslam and the team remained steadfast in their commitment to Garrett, even when trade rumors surfaced following his trade request.
When asked about the possibility of a trade, Haslam made it clear that the Browns had no intentions of moving their star defensive player.
“We had a lot of conversations about it, and there was never serious thought to trade Myles,” Haslam admitted. “What we know we have in Myles is a Hall of Famer.
“These kind of situations are emotional. People say things, and you have to realize it’s not just the player. There’s an agent. There’s an agency who are working that process behind the scenes, and they’re really good at it. They’re really effective at it. And we’re just glad it worked out.”
The Browns clearly value Garrett not only as one of the league’s premier pass rushers but as a key piece of their future.
With his extension secured, the focus now shifts to whether Garrett can take his game – and his leadership – to the next level.
What are your thoughts on Haslam’s comments? … Are you surprised to hear about Garrett’s leadership struggles and that he reportedly blew off mandatory meetings???
