Myles Garrett has been the face of the Cleveland Browns since the day he walked through the door. By almost every measure, the athlete feels like he’s from a different planet. Two Defensive Player of the Year awards, five All-Pro nods, a seven-time Pro Bowler and a reputation as the most unblockable defender in football.
The resume does not need any help. He broke the NFL‘s single-season sack record in 2025, finishing with 23. The Browns, though, stumbled to a 5-12 record that same season. That contrast is getting harder to ignore.
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Garrett keeps raising his own bar while the team around him searches for footing. With a player this good, this decorated, burning years in a rebuilding situation, it’s a question that’s only going to get louder.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95).Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
(Ken Blaze-Imagn Images)
Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marcus Spears brought it up during a recent segment on “The Rich Eisen Show,” and he made sure to be direct about it. Spears said Garrett should’ve come out this offseason and stated plainly that he doesn’t want to be in Cleveland anymore.
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Spears kept his reasoning simple. Had Garrett spent the last four or five years with a contender, the conversation around him wouldn’t just be about dominance. It would be about legacy at the highest level, alongside names like Lawrence Taylor and Deion Sanders.
“What else can Myles Garrett give to the Cleveland Browns? Just from a football standpoint, what else could he possibly do in order to try to help this team win games than what he’s done already? He’s been that good that they’ve at times been able to win games or be in games in the 4th quarter because of his talent alone,” Spears said.
“Could you imagine Myles Garrett playing for a true contender? Could you imagine the type of conversation we would be having about him?… If Myles Garrett played for a contender, the last 4 or 5 years… [he] would be in the conversation for being the best defensive player to ever play football…. He would be in the Lawrence Taylor, the Deion Sanders conversation with, is this the greatest guy that we’ve seen play this position?”
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Spears also made a broader point about what franchises owe players like Garrett. A real effort to build something around them, at least a few seasons where a championship run feels within reach.
That has not been Cleveland’s story. Look around the AFC North and the gap becomes obvious. Joe Burrow got the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl. Lamar Jackson has taken the Baltimore Ravens on multiple deep playoff runs.
Even the Pittsburgh Steelers keep showing up in postseason conversations. Every offseason, Garrett is left waiting on answers about where the Browns are headed and what moves will actually matter. Spears’ point surely lands hard because the talent has never been the issue.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.