The Cleveland Browns have arguably the best pass-rusher in the NFL, though he’s no longer paid that way.
Myles Garrett spoke with reporters on Friday, September 8, ahead of the team’s regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. After a few questions about the looming division matchup, the conversation turned to San Francisco 49ers edge-rusher Nick Bosa and the historic $175 million contract ($122.5 million guaranteed) he signed with that franchise earlier this week.
“I don’t worry about another man’s money or anything like that,” Garrett said. “He went out there and earned it. Got DPOY [Defensive Player of the Year]. He’s been balling lately. I’m wishing the best for him. I want to see great football be played by great football players and [I’m] happy for him.”
Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa Had Similar Success Sacking QBs in 2023
Getty Defensive end Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a sack against the Dallas Cowboys during an NFC Wild Card Playoff game in January 2022.
Reporters then asked Garrett about an extension of his own. He signed a five-year, $125 million deal that includes $100 million guaranteed in July 2020. He is under contract with the team through 2026.
“I’m not worried about when that happens,” Garrett said. “I want to do right by my teammates, and when we come to that time, when [it’s] time for us to renegotiate or whatever we want to call it, then we’ll come to the table. But until then, keep on playing football at the highest level. Keep on playing [the] game well with my teammates.”
Bosa has become the highest-paid edge-rusher in the NFL in terms of overall contract value, annual average salary and guaranteed money. Garrett is now fourth in overall contract value, fourth in annual average salary and third in guaranteed money, per Over The Cap.
Garrett, 27, produced 26 QB hits and 16 sacks last season. Bosa, 25, tallied 48 QB hits and a league-leading 18.5 sacks in 2022 on his way to winning the DPOY Award.
Browns DE Myles Garrett Has Shot at DPOY with Revamped D-Line
GettyDefensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns has produced 16 sacks in each of the last two seasons and is now surrounded by an improved defensive front.
Bosa’s numbers were helped by one of the NFL’s best defenses in San Francisco, an advantage Garrett did not share. However, that should not be the case this time around.
Cleveland has completely revamped its defensive line, trading with the Minnesota Vikings for Pro-Bowl pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith and signing defensive tackles Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris in free agency. The Browns also signed edge defender Ogbo Okoronkwo over the offseason.
The end result should be fewer double-teams flying Garrett’s way and better personal and team success when it comes to sacking opposing quarterbacks. Cleveland mustered just 34 sacks last season, tying them with the Green Bay Packers for 27th in that category.
Even a slight bump in production over the last two seasons, each of which has seen Garrett tally 16 sacks, should vault the Browns edge rusher into candidacy for the DPOY Award and potentially the NFL’s largest contract at the position at some point in the future.
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Browns’ Myles Garrett Speaks on Nick Bosa’s Historic Deal