WHEN MYLES GARRETT crouches on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field, waiting to perfectly time his get-off in pursuit of Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward, there will be a number scribbled onto the tape wrapped around his wrists: 25.
For two decades, the number on the minds of any aspiring great pass rusher was 22.5 -- the single-season sack record shared by Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan.
However, the heights -- and sacks -- Garrett has reached this season have forced him to think even bigger, and the "25" printed on his tape will be a reminder of that. The Browns defensive end needs four more sacks to reach 23 on the season and break the single-season sack record.
Already a Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 (and the overwhelming favorite to win the award again this season), Garrett has delivered a historic season that is on the verge of breaking a record that has stood since Jan. 6, 2002.
The record-setting campaign, which Garrett could complete as early as Sunday's home game against the Titans (1 p.m. ET, Fox), has come with personal frustrations as the Browns endure another losing season, but it has only further solidified Garrett in the pantheon of all-time great pass rushers.
"He's the greatest of all time," Browns safety Grant Delpit said. "He's the best I've seen do it. I'm glad that he's on my team. His motor, his engine, it's still going. He really sets the pace for the defense."
FOUR DAYS BEFORE the Browns' Week 13 home game against the San Francisco 49ers, Garrett stood by his locker as he prepared for practice.
He looked down at his orange-and-white cleats as he explained the reasoning for an Arabic phrase -- "Maktub" -- which means, "It is written," that was scrawled in black ink on the top of the shoes.
"I believe in positive affirmation," Garrett told ESPN.
Garrett said that this season, he has written himself notes and personal messages on his wrist tape and cleats to serve as extra motivation in a season that has him on the verge of NFL history.
His 19 sacks -- six more than the next-closest player (New York Giants edge rusher Brian Burns, 13) -- are already a career high and the most by a player in his team's first 12 games since sacks became an official stat in 1982.
Garrett has been on a Hall of Fame trajectory since being selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft out of Texas A&M; in October, he passed Reggie White for the most sacks by a player before turning 30. Garrett, who turns 30 on Dec. 29, has 121.5 career sacks since entering the league, six more than the next-closest player (Watt, 115).
This season, though, has defied logic at times.
He has fought through countless double- and triple-team efforts using his rare combination of size, speed and agility to bring down quarterbacks at a breakneck pace. At times, it's a relentless bull rush right into a passer's lap. Other times, it's a feint Eurostep to elude a blocker without making contact.
"He's such a big guy. He moves like a small guy, and he's so strong, and he plays so hard to where if your feet are underneath you, and you don't get on him early, he's going to either go around you, or he's going to go through you," Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard said. "[I have] just so much respect for him. I think he's just a generational talent. I think he's probably one of the best edge rushers this league has ever seen."
This season, Garrett has had a five-sack performance (Week 8 against the New England Patriots) and a four-sack performance (Week 11 against the Ravens) during a stretch of 15 sacks in six games. On Thursday, Garrett was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month after registering nine sacks in November. His current pace puts him on track for 27, which would shatter the record that Strahan set in 16 games in 2001 and Watt matched in 17 games in 2021.
"He's still hungry," said Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who has compared Garrett's impact to two Hall of Famers he has coached, Ray Lewis and Calvin Johnson. "He wears it really well. He knows he's a marked man."
In the week preceding Garrett's five-sack performance against the Patriots, one act set the tone for a historic outing: He took every single practice rep.
It's uncommon for defensive linemen to do what Garrett did, Schwartz explained. However, Garrett, who had totaled just one sack in the previous four games, said he wasn't satisfied with his recent play and wanted to "get his rhythm."
"He had told [defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire], 'Hey, I wasn't happy with my performance the week before, you're not taking me out of practice in this during this week,'" Schwartz recalled. "... That kind of statement speaks loud, too."
It's one of the many ways Garrett has attempted to show growth and set an example as a leader, especially on one of the NFL's youngest teams. Schwartz and Browns coach Kevin Stefanski have noted that, while Garrett's sacks get all of the attention, he has also been an elite run defender. Garrett has 28 tackles for loss this season, surpassing J.J. Watt (27 tackles for loss in 2012 with Houston) for the most tackles for loss by a player in their team's first 12 games of a season since 2000.
"Honestly, I don't think I've ever been around a more driven person in my career or played with a more driven person," Browns veteran defensive tackle Maliek Collins said. "Just based on how he goes about his days, how infatuated he is with getting to the quarterback, but also just with his all-around play."
"You're the best to ever do it dude."
— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2025
Nothing but respect from the @49ers to @Flash_Garrett 🙌@InsideTheNFL Week 13 Mic'd Up on X pic.twitter.com/cmEUnwv7ao
IN 2023, GARRETT was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year for registering 14 sacks on the league's best defense. Those efforts were a large reason the Browns won 11 games and captured a playoff berth.
Garrett returned for the 2024 season with his sights on being even better. He spent the offseason training and studying other great, active pass rushers, such as Watt, Micah Parsons and Nick Bosa, to gain insight on dealing with additional blockers.
Garrett was arguably even better in 2024, matching the previous season's sack total. Cleveland, though, regressed and stumbled to a three-win season. The NFL's top defensive award went to the Cincinnati Bengals' Trey Hendrickson, who was the league's sack champion (17.5).
As the 2024 regular season came to an end, Garrett hinted at wanting to know the direction of the organization's offseason to feel comfortable about Cleveland's -- and his -- future. The week of Super Bowl 59, Garrett publicly announced a trade request from the Browns -- he later said he and the team were not aligned on the future -- in an attempt to land with a contender.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry, though, stood steadfast in his reluctance to deal Garrett, whom he previously said he envisioned having a "direct ticket from Cleveland to Canton." The two sides remained in communication over the next month, and on the doorsteps of free agency, Garrett agreed to a four-year, $160 million extension, which at the time was a record for a non-quarterback.
With the new contract came a recommitment to the organization from Garrett and heightened expectations for a player who has consistently reset the bar for his position.
"I really think the next step for Myles is not Defensive Player of the Year. He's been there, done that," Schwartz said in August. "Next step for him is MVP candidate. If we're playing good on defense and he's at the heart of that, I think he's in that conversation."
Three months later, Schwartz didn't shy away from considering Garrett's worthiness for an award typically reserved for quarterbacks on contending teams.
"He certainly has those kinds of credentials," Schwartz said. "I'm not a voter; I don't really know what goes into all those things. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a more valuable player in the NFL. ... When you're talking about most valuable player, it's tough to keep him out of that conversation."
Garrett will almost assuredly fall short of MVP honors, but he remains the odds-on favorite to be named 2025 Defensive Player of the Year, even on a 3-9 team. The last player to be named DPOY on a team with a losing record was Miami's Jason Taylor in 2006.
Garrett's production and impact have become too glaring to ignore, even amid Cleveland's struggles.
"If you look at the games and the stats, I think he has been the best defensive player in the league," left guard Joel Bitonio said. "And if that's what the award is, then he should get it."
IN AN OFFSEASON for the Browns that was dominated by quarterback questions, Cleveland reconfigured its defensive line with savvy moves that have aided Garrett in his pursuit of history.
Cleveland signed Collins, who recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks before sustaining a season-ending quad injury in Sunday's Week 13 loss to the 49ers. And in the 2025 NFL draft, the Browns opted not to select two-way star Travis Hunter or edge rusher Abdul Carter with the No. 2 overall pick.
Instead, Cleveland traded back with the Jacksonville Jaguars to the fifth selection for a haul of draft picks, which includes a 2026 first-rounder, and then selected defensive tackle Mason Graham. Through 13 games, Graham has registered only a half-sack, but he ranks eighth in pass rush win rate as an interior defender (11.1%).
It has been a symbiotic relationship for Garrett and his defensive line mates. The extra attention that Garrett draws -- he has been double-teamed on 31% of his pass-rush snaps -- frees up one-on-one opportunities for the interior linemen. When the defensive tackles collapse the pocket and leave quarterbacks with nowhere to step into, Garrett is often bending the corner, ready to corral the passer.
This week's matchup comes against a quarterback in Ward who has taken the most sacks in the NFL this season (48). According to ESPN analytics writer Seth Walder's sacks model, Garrett has a 1.3% chance of getting at least four sacks against Ward and breaking the record. Garrett, across the league, is the most likely player to get at least one sack in Week 14 with a 61% chance, and he has a 23% chance of at least two sacks, per Walder.
"My guys are helping me elevate to another level. I couldn't do it without them," Garrett said. "They're winning rushes, they're getting pressure from the middle, keeping them from stepping up, they're winning on the edge and keep it contained, and they're making my job a lot easier. So, there's no way I'd be able to get to this point and excel at this level without everything that they're doing."
GARRETT TURNED IN that five-sack performance against the Patriots on Oct. 26, but in the final minutes, he was incensed. In the last moments of a 32-13 loss, Garrett was taken out of the game. He slammed his helmet on the sideline and sulked alone on the bench as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
"I would throw the whole performance away for a win," Garrett said after the game.
Myles Garrett sitting alone at the end of the bench amid his best statistical game, 5 sacks. But the Browns are 2 min away from dropping to 2-6 for the second straight year with the bye week approaching. pic.twitter.com/vagRGvHTFr
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) October 26, 2025
With just three victories, a season that could end with historic accolades has frequently been a source of frustration for Garrett. He has often brushed off acknowledgement of his feats in postgame news conferences to highlight his desire to win and compete in the playoffs. Last Sunday's loss to the 49ers clinched the Browns' seventh losing season in nine years since Garrett arrived in Cleveland. Garrett, the preeminent pass rusher of his generation, has played in just three postseason games.
However, even in what has been another lost season, Garrett's teammates are rallying around his race to set history.
"It's big for us," Browns linebacker Devin Bush said. "He's obviously a big catalyst of our defense. He's on the front seven, so obviously he's the first line of attack, and he's also a great player. So, of course we want him to have as much success as he can, and it may not be the best season we have in this season, but we need to hang our hat somewhere. It's our job to get him there."
Graham, the rookie who is still in search of his first career solo sack, joked about how his contributions have aided Garrett this season.
"As long as he gets that [record], then I'm cool with it," Graham said.
THE RESPECT THAT Garrett has garnered is vast, spanning from his contemporaries to the luminaries whose shadows he is chasing -- and in many cases, catching.
"You can't get this close to the finish line and not finish it, so I'm actually rooting for him in that aspect," said Parsons, who has trained with Garrett and created a friendship with him.
After Garrett passed Lawrence Taylor for the most consecutive seasons with at least 12 sacks (six), the Hall of Famer and Giants great posted his kudos to Garrett on X.
"Ton of respect for how this dude goes about his business," Taylor wrote. "he's been doing it on another level for a long time now... there's only so many who truly alter gameplans and keep the other side up [at] night."
Garrett said he has connected with several pass rush legends over the years, including Strahan, John Randle and Demarcus Ware. He told ESPN recently that the conversations with those former players vary, from on-field advice to banter as he chases down their records.
"There is nobody like Myles Garrett," Strahan said during Fox's postgame show Sunday. "I'm truly hoping he breaks this sack record. ... Lawrence Taylor is the best defensive player I've ever seen in my lifetime. But I think this kid is close, in my opinion."
Garrett hasn't allowed himself to reflect too much on what it would mean to break the sack record. However, the vision of the accomplishment is vivid as he nears the mark.
"I don't even think about it as a want -- I just think about something that I'm going to knock down," Garrett said. "It's already been written in my mind that it's going, [it's] 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."
ESPN's Rob Demovsky contributed to this story.