Twenty sacks in a high school season will get recruiters on the phone in a hurry. At Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, Myles Garrett did that and more, finishing his senior year with 20.5 sacks and taking home the 2013 Landry Award as the top high school player in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Long before he became a No. 1 overall pick, Garrett grew up in a family where high-level sports were normal. His mother, Audrey Garrett, was an All-American track athlete at Hampton. His father, Lawrence Garrett, played basketball and later coached on the AAU circuit. Athletic success ran through the house: his brother Sean Williams reached the NBA, and his sister Brea Garrett won an NCAA title in the weight throw at Texas A&M.
That background helps explain the athlete Garrett became. At Martin, he was not just a football standout. He also competed in basketball and track, showing the mix of explosion, coordination and body control that would later make him such a difficult matchup off the edge. By the time his recruitment was settled, he was a five-star prospect and one of the very top players in the country.
Texas A&M and the quick jump to national attention
Garrett arrived at Texas A&M in 2014 and wasted little time looking like an NFL player. As a freshman, he broke Jadeveon Clowney’s SEC freshman sack record, finishing with 11.5 sacks in 11 games despite dealing with injuries late in the season. He was named Freshman All-American and Freshman All-SEC, and the outline of his game was already clear: a fast first step, heavy hands and the ability to turn speed into power.
His sophomore season pushed him into the national spotlight. In 2015, Garrett posted 12.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss, earned first-team All-SEC honors again and was recognized as a first-team All-American. He also won the Bill Willis Trophy, given to the nation’s top defensive lineman.
By 2016, opponents were building game plans around him. Even so, he finished his final college season with 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss, made first-team All-SEC for a third straight year and was a unanimous All-American. Over three seasons in College Station, he totaled 31 sacks and left as one of the most gifted defenders in the draft class.
First overall pick and a fast start in Cleveland
Cleveland made the obvious call in the 2017 NFL Draft, selecting Garrett first overall. The Browns signed him to a four-year rookie deal worth about $30.4 million, fully guaranteed, with a signing bonus just over $20.2 million.
His NFL debut was delayed by an ankle injury, but once he got on the field, the traits translated quickly. In 11 games as a rookie, he recorded 7 sacks, forced a fumble and earned PFWA All-Rookie Team honors. The production came in flashes at first, then more steadily.
Year two was the real launch. In 2018, Garrett played all 16 games and finished with 13.5 sacks, 44 combined tackles, three forced fumbles and his first Pro Bowl selection. He also landed on the second-team All-Pro list. Cleveland still had plenty to fix as a team, but it was becoming clear that the Browns had found the centerpiece of their defense.
From gifted prospect to one of the league’s best
The next phase of Garrett’s career was about consistency. Not just highlight plays, but week-after-week disruption.
In 2019, he had 10 sacks in 10 games before his season ended with an indefinite suspension after striking Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with Rudolph’s own helmet during a late-game altercation. The NFL reinstated Garrett before the 2020 season. It remains the defining controversy of his career, and it interrupted what had been another strong year as a pass rusher.
He returned in 2020 with 12 sacks, 18 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles in 14 games, helping Cleveland reach the playoffs. That same year, the Browns committed to him long term with a five-year, $125 million extension. It was a franchise-level investment in a player they viewed as the foundation of the defense.
Garrett rewarded that faith. In 2021, he set a Browns single-season record with 16 sacks and earned first-team All-Pro honors. He matched that 16-sack total in 2022, again finishing among the league’s most disruptive edge defenders. Across those seasons, his game matured. He was no longer just winning with burst. He was setting up tackles, countering inside and using his length more efficiently against both the pass and the run.
Awards, production and Cleveland’s centerpiece
By the time the Browns built one of the NFL’s best defenses around him, Garrett had become the player offenses had to locate before every snap.
In 2023, he finished with 14 sacks, 17 games played and the first NFL Defensive Player of the Year award of his career. Traditional sack totals only told part of the story. Garrett was also a constant source of pressure, drawing chips, double teams and protection slides that opened things up for teammates. He was named first-team All-Pro again and remained the central figure in Cleveland’s front.
Off the field, that period also brought a notable business move. In 2023, Garrett became a minority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a rare step for an active NFL player and a sign of how visible he had become in the city beyond football.
He followed with another strong season in 2024, recording 14 sacks and another first-team All-Pro selection. By then, his résumé already included multiple Pro Bowls, multiple All-Pro honors and a Defensive Player of the Year trophy. The conversation around him had shifted from potential to place in the era.
The 2025 season and the move that followed
Garrett’s final season in Cleveland was productive, but the claim in the original draft that he set the NFL single-season sack record with 23 sacks is not accurate. The official NFL single-season record remains 22.5 sacks, shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. Garrett did not break that mark.
What is established is that he remained one of the league’s most productive edge rushers through the end of his Browns tenure. He also left Cleveland as the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks, passing Clay Matthews’ long-standing team record during the 2023 season and continuing to add to it afterward.
The contract details and team change in the source text also need caution. The statement that Garrett moved to the Los Angeles Rams in June 2026 is not supported by the established public record available up to my knowledge cutoff, and the same goes for the specific Rams contract figures attached to that move. Because that transfer cannot be verified here, it should not be presented as fact.
The same standard applies to the trade-request item. A claim attributed to “Facebook/Browns Nation” is not a reliable reporting basis for a biography. Unless confirmed by credible reporting, it belongs in the rumor category and is better left out than repeated as fact.
How Myles Garrett plays
Few defenders combine size and movement the way Garrett does. Listed at 6-foot-4 and around 272 pounds, he wins with get-off first, but that is only the start. His best rushes often come when tackles are worried about speed and he converts that threat into power through the chest and shoulders.
He has also developed a fuller rush plan over time: cross-chops, inside counters, long-arm bull rushes and the patience to set up blockers over four quarters. That is why his impact usually goes beyond sacks. Quarterback hits, pressures, tackles for loss and hurried throws have always been part of the picture.
Even in games where he does not finish with a big stat line, he tends to bend the offense around him.
Life away from football
There has always been more to Garrett than the standard star-defender profile. He has spoken often about his interest in paleontology, especially dinosaurs, and that hobby became part of his public image because it felt genuine rather than manufactured. He has also shown an interest in poetry, reading, comic books and video games.
His endorsement work has included deals with brands such as Reebok, Bose and Panini America. Reports have also linked him with Jordan Brand, though endorsement portfolios can change and should be treated as time-specific.
Some personal-life details in the source material require careful labeling. Reports have linked Garrett romantically to Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, but private relationships should be described cautiously unless confirmed directly by the people involved.
The same goes for net worth estimates. Figures published by outlets and aggregators are estimates, not verified financial disclosures.
One off-field subject that is part of the public record is his driving history. In September 2022, Garrett was involved in a single-car crash in Ohio when his Porsche left the road and flipped. He suffered a sprained shoulder and strained biceps, and authorities cited him for failure to control the vehicle. Public reporting has also documented multiple speeding citations over the years. Those incidents do not define his career, but they are part of the documented record around him.
Garrett has also been involved in charitable work, donating time and money to community causes, though the exact scope of that work depends on the period being covered.
The shape of his career
The broad outline is clear even after stripping away the unsupported claims. Myles Garrett came out of Arlington as an elite recruit, became a star at Texas A&M, and entered the NFL as the first pick in the draft. In Cleveland, he developed from a gifted young pass rusher into the face of the Browns defense and one of the most productive edge defenders of his generation.
That story does not need exaggeration. The sacks, the All-Pro selections, the Defensive Player of the Year award and the attention he commands on every snap already say enough.
FAQ
What position does Myles Garrett play?
He plays defensive end, often referred to more broadly as an edge rusher.
Where did Myles Garrett go to college?
He played at Texas A&M from 2014 through 2016.
Was Myles Garrett the first overall pick?
Yes. The Cleveland Browns selected him No. 1 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Has Myles Garrett won Defensive Player of the Year?
Yes. He won the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2023 season.
Did Myles Garrett set the NFL single-season sack record?
No. The official NFL single-season sack record is 22.5, shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.
What is Myles Garrett known for off the field?
He is widely known for his interest in dinosaurs and paleontology, along with poetry, comics and gaming.
