BEREA — It’s the Cleveland Browns against the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener Aug. 7. It’s not Myles Garrett against Trey Hendrickson.
At least, Garrett doesn’t view it that way.
“It’s not me versus Trey, so I don’t think about it like that,” Garrett said Sept. 5, two days before the opener. “I want to be the best player on the field. I plan to lead the league in sacks, and it’s not like he’s pass blocking against me. I hope he does well. I hope he goes out and does what he’s supposed to do and I hope I do the same.”
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The 2024 season ended with it being Garrett against Hendrickson, with the Browns star finishing 3.5 sacks behind the Bengals All-Pro’s league-high 17.5 sacks. In the offseason, Garrett demanded a trade to a “contender” in February and Hendrickson’s demand centered on a new deal as he entered the final year of his current one.
Garrett, ultimately, ended his trade demand March 7 when he signed a four-year, $160 million extension. Hendrickson’s lasted through training camp, finally ending with a $14 million raise to $30 million for the final year of his deal in 2025.
Those two essentially bookended an offseason of new deals for some of the top edge rushers, including the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt ($41 million per year) and Micah Parsons, who received a four-year, $186 million ($46.5 million average) after being traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers.
Maxx Crosby technically opened the market March 5 with an extension from the Las Vegas Raiders worth an average annual value of $35.5 million, so Garrett’s deal was the first to clear the $40 million mark for a non-quarterback.
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Although Garrett’s bar as the standard for elite edge rushers was cleared multiple times in the months that followed, there’s still a feeling of being a bit of a trendsetter in the market. That’s especially true with Parsons, with whom Garrett had worked out in the offseason while back home in Dallas.
“I share a sense of pride with some of the guys I’ve been able to talk to, especially Micah,” Garrett said. “Him and I had the opportunity to talk through the process, and I’m just happy to see him be somewhere he’s happy and go out there and have opportunity to play meaningful games. He just wants to play at a high level, compete for a Super Bowl and go for the Defensive Player of the Year. So I’m happy to see that for him. Know he’s a hell of a talent.”
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) passes under pressure from Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) on Oct. 31, 2022, in Cleveland.
The season opener falls exactly six months from the date Garrett and the Browns agreed to the new extension. It’s just over seven months from the Feb. 3 date when he went public on the Monday before the Super Bowl that he wanted to be dealt.
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The month between those two dates had its share of public acrimony, including an appearance on Radio Row and an ESPN interview the morning of the Super Bowl. However, it did at least end with the two sides coming back together.
There is an alternative universe where Garrett’s last several months go much differently, which includes missing something mandatory. That’s what happened to his edge-rushing peers, with Watt missing minicamp, Hendrickson missing all of training camp and Parsons essentially doing a hold-in throughout the preseason while demanding a trade he eventually received.
“Well, I mean, I wasn’t sleeping on the training table during games,” Garrett said. “I mean, I think him and I went at it in two very different ways and this wasn’t a relationship I wanted to ruin. There was always a potential of me being back in this same spot, which I am now.
“I don’t think that’s what [Parsons] wanted after no discussions with [Cowboys owner] Jerry [Jones] and some of the other people, especially without his agent being present. I feel like that seemed like a show of disrespect, the way they were handling the situation, and I think the way ours was handled was a bit more respectful all around.”
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Which leads to the present and near-future. Specifically, it leads to Aug. 7, when two of the best pass rushers in the game will be on the same field, just not at the same time.
Both will be trying to sack a quarterback named Joe. Both will be trying to get back to where they were at the end of last season, which is at the top of the league sack chart.
It’s the first game of the year, which Garrett knows has an added layer of importance.
“It sets the tone,” he said. “So you want to set the year off right and we’ve got to go out and establish the standard and the direction of the team early.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Myles Garrett has ‘pride’ in role in boosting edge-rusher market