CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has set himself above the rest. Time and time again, he's etched his name in the history books and made his mark on the league along the way. When he eyes a goal, he gives his all to accomplish it, and to date, he's knocked down nearly every milestone he's set for himself. For Garrett, legacy is everything. But what does legacy mean to him?
Garrett sat down to talk about his recent accomplishments, how he views the idea of legacy, and what's next for No. 95—and it should be no surprise his next goal is a lofty one.
Here is our full conversation with the Browns' superstar pass rusher:
Camryn Justice: Myles Garrett. Two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Sack King. Do you have a favorite title?
Myles Garrett: Son, brother, boyfriend. Stuff like that means a little bit more.
CJ: That's a very fair way to go about things, but you are the NFL sack king. You had the single-season sack record quite literally written on you at the start of the year. What does it mean to you to be able to manifest these goals into reality? What is the process for you to make these milestones happen?
MG: I think those dreams and those aspirations take the work to make them happen. All that requires you to, to put in your due diligence and and the equal amount of effort. And so I know that to have these lofty goals and ideas of how you want your career to go, you have to put in the same amount of astronomical effort every day, and then just continue to stack until you put yourself in a position to do the things you always hoped to do.
CJ: When you broke that record, you talked so much about family, you've mentioned your favorite titles were being a son, and for you to have your dad there, the camera to capture it—to be able to go to the sideline and embrace your mom and celebrate that moment with her, what was that like for you?
MG: It just means so much more having my family there for the moment, being able to see them ecstatic that it finally came to fruition, their smiling faces, hell, if they could have, they probably would've jumped down. But just having that affection, that love, that admiration, that kind of stuff—I'll remember that longer than I'll remember the record for sure.
CJ: Now I'm sure you'll also remember what that crowd was like. You had Browns fans there with custom Myles Garrett signs of all different kinds. They were eagerly anticipating you making history. What does that mean to you, to have so many people—not just your family, not just your teammates—but people around the state, around the country, around the world, having your back, supporting you, watching you do these things that you set out to do?
MG: I mean, it's insane when you put it like that. I have so many different fans, just being me, just being the person that [my parents] raised me to be. Just proud to have my family continue to help elevate me and get me to this point, and I want to do right by them. I want to make them proud and I think along the way I'll make my fans proud as well and continue to give them something to root and cheer for.
CJ: With that said, what does the word legacy mean to Myles Garrett?
MG: I mean, along the same vein. It's really a story in which you can show or tell your family, your loved ones, for them to look back and smile upon. That's what legacy means to me. That's something that they can be proud of and they'll remember you when it's all said and done and I want to be remembered for all the ups and downs and know that I gave everything that I had along the way, and hopefully it's a happy ending to my story and my legacy.
CJ: So when you think about that, you wanted Defensive Player of the Year, you got it twice. You wanted that sack record, you got it. What is next to accomplish? What is next for No. 95?
MG: I mean, a Super Bowl would be great. That's the way I've always wanted my career to go. To be able to knock out each one of these—I think I would've knocked [out] earlier if I could, but it's all on God's timing. So Super Bowl—Super Bowl MVP—would be amazing. But right now, just taking it day by day. I'm happy with all the things that I've done. I'm not satisfied, but being able to look, take a second to breathe, and after all the dust has settled, I was just appreciative that I've, I've even gotten to this point and, uh, just trying to, uh, take it one day at a time.
CJ: Would it mean more for these goals to happen here in Cleveland?
MG: Would it mean more? Yeah. I mean, the team that drafted me, who put their hopes and aspirations into one person with the first pick, it does mean a lot. And I'm so glad and appreciative of the fact that they were willing to do that, to even make that selection. But, like I said, I just want to take it a day at a time as far as what's happening with my offseason and going into next season. But I'm very, very proud of what I've been able to achieve here and the teammates and the team that we have.
(The interview with Garrett took place during the Cleveland Cavaliers' game against the New York Knicks, where the Cavs were celebrating Garrett's recent Defensive Player of the Year Award and his accomplishment of breaking the NFL's single-season sack record. Since he was at Rocket Arena, Garrett also gave his opinions (as both a fan and partial owner of the Cavs) on the trades the Cavs made and the future of championships in Cleveland across teams):
CJ: It's Myles Garrett night at the Cleveland Cavaliers.
MG: Man, it's an exciting time right now. They've been on a good stretch. I know they dropped one a couple of days ago, but they've been on a tear, especially since they acquired James Harden. He's helped really activate the bigs and get guys more involved into the offense. It's a shame losing DG [Darius Garland]. I know he was a hell of a player and will remain a hell of a player, no matter where he goes, but it's great to see the chemistry really re-correcting itself from last year. I think we had some of the good going and then we kind of lost it for a bit and now you guys are really figuring it out once more and now the defensive side, offensive side are really coalescing.
CJ: Let's get a championship, a couple of championship teams in Cleveland. How about we get something like that going?
MG: Hey, I wouldn't be complaining. I wouldn't be complaining at all. The Cavs look great. Hope everything works out with us. So we'll see. I mean, I wouldn't be mad at the Guardians as well.
CJ: Three championship teams, speak it into the universe. You're good at manifestation.
MG: Hey, that's a start. I say my prayers before bed and I put in the work I'm supposed to. That's all I can do.
CJ: We'll make you write it on the wrist. Thank you so much, Myles.
MG: Of course, thank you.
