There are dominant seasons in the NFL, and then there are the kind that completely shift the conversation around a player. Myles Garrett just delivered one of those. After spending 2025 relentlessly hunting quarterbacks and rewriting parts of the record book, the Cleveland Browns star could easily take a victory lap.
At 30, with accolades stacking up and defenses built around him, most players might focus on maintaining that level. But Garrett doesn’t seem wired that way. Instead of looking back at what he accomplished, he’s already talking about what’s next, and the message he’s sending suggests that last season might not have been the peak, but just another step toward something even bigger.
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Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) runs out during player introductions prior to a game against Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field.Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
(Ken Blaze-Imagn Images)
While in conversation with Micah Parsons, Garrett was asked what is next for him after the 2025 season he had. To this he replied saying, “What’s next for me? Super Bowl, Super Bowl MVP.”
Garrett finished the 2025 season with 23 sacks, setting a new single-season NFL record, while adding 33 tackles for loss, 39 quarterback hits and three forced fumbles. He recorded at least half a sack in nine straight games and had three separate outings with three or more sacks, including a five-sack explosion against the New England Patriots on Oct. 26.
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His dominance earned him unanimous AP Defensive Player of the Year honors, and his coaches didn’t hold back. Defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire called him “the most dominant defensive lineman I’ve ever coached,” praising his focus and consistency. Safeties coach Ephraim Banda described what Garrett does on Sundays as “truly special” and “God-given.”
Even with the accolades piling up, the message around Garrett is clear: individual milestones are great, but the real goal is turning that dominance into a deep playoff run. Unfortunately, as good as Garret is and has been, individual brilliance alone does not win Super Bowls, and based on the current team that he is playing with, significant changes will have to be made before they are anywhere near the conversation of winning a Super Bowl.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.