Should the Browns Be Concerned About Their 30-Year-Old Record-Breaking Pass Rusher?
This week marked the beginning of voluntary OTAs across the NFL, and first-time head coach Todd Monken told reporters on Wednesday that he has yet to meet with the Cleveland Browns’ star pass rusher, Myles Garrett. The report comes on the back of months of Garrett trade speculation, stemming from a clause in his contract that would allow Cleveland to trade the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and force the trade partner to pay the bonus of his ginormous deal. Monken is trying to install a winning culture amongst the Browns that he is bringing over from his time as the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator, and the fact that his new franchise's best player has yet to meet with him face-to-face has raised concern among Cleveland fans and local media alike. In addition to worrying about Garrett’s absence at non-mandatory training camp exercises, Monken still has yet to figure out if veteran Deshaun Watson is the right option at quarterback for the Browns this season, adding another potential problem for a team that is trying to bounce back from one of its worst stretches in a long history of poor football.
It is not a secret, not even to the most casual of NFL fans, that Garrett is a future Pro Football Hall of Famer and is generally recognized as the most valuable player in all of the game that isn’t a quarterback. The former Texas A&M Aggie was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and the six-foot-four monster of a man has wreaked havoc across the league ever since. The 30-year-old Texas native has recorded over 125 sacks in his career, and just broke the single-season record with 23 of them in 2025. In addition to a pair of DPOY trophies, Garrett has been named to five All-Pro teams and has been to the Pro Bowl seven times in nine seasons. Currently sitting in twentieth place in the all-time sack leaders across NFL History, Garrett will inevitably climb his way up the ladder if he stays healthy, and could break his own single-season record should the league expand to an 18-game schedule.
With his sterling resume, there is plenty of reason for Browns fans to feel concerned about Garrett not meeting with Monken and skipping out on voluntary practices. However, to calm those worries down, Cleveland fans should consider the fact that Garrett holds all the leverage in this situation. If he wanted out, he would have said so by now, as evidenced by Garrett’s trade request last offseason. After he signed a giant contract extension, Garrett has shown a propensity to support the city of Cleveland, as he has been a frequent courtside observer of the crosstown Cavaliers. Rather than his absence being a way to convey a message to the front office that he wants to leave again, it is more likely that Garrett is biding his time and enjoying every last drop of offseason freedom that he can before it’s time to put in major work. With Mandatory Minicamp set to begin in three weeks, expect ‘Big Foot’ to rejoin the Browns and meet with Monken for the first time in 2026.
