Myles Garrett’s onslaught on opposing quarterbacks has led him to one of the NFL’s most esteemed records.
Garrett sacked Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to set a new milestone with 23 sacks, as the Cleveland Browns pass rusher broke rival T.J. Watt and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan’s shared single-season sack record.
“It was everything I expected," Garrett said of the record-breaking moment. "And it was so tough. I knew they were gonna make it difficult, but I don’t think I saw more than three singles on a real dropback the whole game. I just knew if I did, I had to make that moment count. The feeling couldn’t be better.”
Garrett wrapped up Burrow late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 20-18 win to propel him to the milestone and secure the record all to himself. Watt hit the 22.5 milepost in 2021, matching Strahan’s 2001 total.
Somewhat poetically, the 29-year-old Garrett, the 2017 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick, earned his record-breaking accomplishment at the expense of the 2020 draft's top selection, Burrow, whom Garrett has sacked more than any other quarterback in the game. Prior to Sunday, Burrow and Lamar Jackson had each been sacked 11 times by their fearsome rival, but the Cincinnati signal-caller is now on the wrong end of a record and the top of Garrett's hit list.
It seemed like it was only a matter of time before Garrett etched his name in the league's record books, but the pursuit lasted until the Browns' final game of the season. Nonetheless, it's Garrett's milestone all unto himself, coming just a week after he and the Browns upset the rival Steelers in an outing in which Garrett sounded off about Pittsburgh game-planning to prevent him from breaking Watt's record.
Most sacks in a season (since 1982 when sacks became official statistic)
Burrow is the 11th QB on Garrett’s 2025 sack ledger, having also been sacked twice in the teams' first meeting, as well. That '25 list also includes Lamar Jackson (5.5), Drake Maye (5.0), Geno Smith (3), Caleb Williams (1.5), Brock Purdy (1), Justin Fields (1), Tua Tagovailoa (1), Cam Ward (1), Jordan Love (0.5) and Josh Allen (0.5).
Rookies, rivals, veterans, AFC North foes, NFC opponents, Garrett didn’t discriminate, he wreaked havoc no matter the opponent. He’s now recorded at least half a sack in 10 of his last 11 games, as well. For good measure, his current tally of 23 sacks eclipses the unofficial record tallied by Pro Football Reference that was set by the Detroit Lions' Al "Bubba" Baker in 1978.
Historically impressive as the sack record is, it’s perhaps more awe-inspiring when considering Garrett has done it for a struggling Browns team that’s rarely been ahead in games, meaning the occasions have been few in which he’s been able to pin his ears back and simply focus on rushing the passer.
Along with the record, Garrett recently earned his seventh Pro Bowl nod. It's likely Garrett will earn a fifth All-Pro accolade and perhaps his second AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Garrett’s résumé is already Hall of Fame worthy, but after Sunday’s gargantuan step into the NFL record books, his ninth season stands tall as one of the greatest in league chronicle.