Myles Garrett is on the verge of rewriting NFL history. The Cleveland Browns pass rusher has accumulated 18.0 sacks over the first 11 games of the season, placing him just five sacks shy of breaking the single-season sack record. Currently, the record is held jointly by Michael Strahan and TJ Watt, who both achieved 22.5 sacks. Strahan set the record in 2001, and it stood untouched until 2021 when Watt matched it. With six games remaining in the 2025 season, Garrett is poised to surpass this milestone.
Strahan, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, expressed his support for Garrett during an appearance on FOX NFL Sunday, remarking, “There’s nobody like Myles Garrett. I am truly hoping he breaks the sack record.” He believes that Garrett’s talent places him among the elite defensive players in NFL history. “I was thinking about this, Lawrence Taylor is the best defensive player I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. But I think this kid is close, in my opinion. I think he’s better than Reggie White, I think he’s better than my guy Bruce Smith, myself — this guy is something else.”
Garrett’s Record-Chasing Pace
At just 29 years old, Garrett has already established himself as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His current performance suggests that he is in the prime of his career, making it likely he will achieve significant milestones before his playing days are over. Strahan noted, “He needs five sacks to break this record; I think he’s gonna crush the record. He has 13 sacks in four games; I don’t see him slowing down anytime soon.”
Garrett himself remains focused and determined as he approaches the record. “I don’t even think about it as a want — I just think about something that I’m going to knock down,” he said on Friday. “It’s already been written in my mind that it’s going just how far I’m going to take it. So, just going to go out there and do what I do, and whatever number I end up at.”
The Implications of Breaking the Record
If Garrett surpasses the current record, it would not only mark a significant personal achievement but also elevate his status in the league. The record has long been a benchmark for defensive excellence, and breaking it would add a formidable chapter to his legacy. As the season progresses, fans and analysts alike will be eagerly watching to see if Garrett can achieve this historic feat, potentially setting a new standard for future generations of players.
With his current trajectory, Myles Garrett is not just chasing a record; he is redefining the expectations of what it means to be a dominant defensive player in the NFL. Whether he ultimately breaks the record may soon be a question of “when” rather than “if,” and the football world will be watching closely as the 2025 season unfolds.
