Myles Garrett is a future Hall of Famer, but after the Browns traded the star pass rusher to the Rams for Jared Verse and draft picks, some fans in Cleveland now feel empowered to say that he was not a Hall of Fame-caliber leader during his nine-season tenure with the team.
Is this an overreaction by fans who feel burned by Garrett after he pushed the Browns to trade him to a contender or is it a reflection on the organization that Garrett knew would never win a Super Bowl? You be the judge.
A user
on X named “Roberto Shenanigans” posted “Now that it’s over, can we be honest about Myles Garrett?” and made a list of both known facts and unproven rumors regarding Garrett’s nine years in Cleveland that he’s using as “proof” that his leadership qualities have always been in question.
That includes these accusations, though we are not saying any of this necessarily matters with regards to Garrett’s future in L.A.:
- Publicly criticizing former DC Joe Woods
- Rolling his eyes behind former HC Kevin Stefanski’s back
- Never meeting HC Todd Monken before he was traded (or the DC)
- Beefing with Baker Mayfield until he was traded, then ghosting Mayfield
- Swinging his helmet at a Steelers player
- Being late, sleeping through, or not paying attention in meetings
- Regularly skipping OTAs and voluntary workouts
- Questioning Garrett’s locker room influence and reluctance to be in a leadership role
- Former teammates criticizing his leadership qualities
- Speeding tickets and a car accident that left him in a ditch
- Openly criticizing the Browns organization in January during Super Bowl week
Does any of this stuff matter and will it become an issue for the Rams? Probably not. But if it doesn’t reflect on Garrett, then it says a lot about the Cleveland Browns organization (which we know has been a mess for decades) and how fans are suddenly much more open about criticizing players after they leave and never when they’re still on the team.
I never quite understood why fans are so bashful about saying this stuff about current players on the team—you know, when criticisms might actually matter?
Actually the one thing that seems to be the least important, at least in terms of football, but is probably the most concerning is going 100 MPH in a 60 and rolling over his car.
Racing cars or driving erratically is not just a trend among pro athletes, but sometimes has tragic consequences. For a player making as much money as Myles Garrett, why ever take that risk? You have enough money to rent a race track and go crazy.
So that’s one thing that Rams fans hope to never see in a headline from Garrett in the future.
However, Garrett’s commitment to being the best football player couldn’t be questioned. If we wanted to make a list like this for Aaron Donald, we could do it. Donald lead by example. He’s not vocal. He had a reputation for getting into fights with opposing players, especially in training camp. He’s not someone you would want to mess around with in a bar fight.
And he’s the best defensive player of his generation who also has a Super Bowl ring.
Garrett’s reputation is that of an elite pass rusher. Now that he’s in a good organization, there isn’t likely to be any rifts between him and the Rams or the coaching staff any time soon.
