The Cleveland Browns have shown glimpses of being a good football team during the 2025 NFL season, but they still remain in the cellar of the NFC North with a 2-2 record. The silver lining has, once again, been that all-world defensive end Myles Garrett is putting together a DPOY campaign.
Week 8's game against the New England Patriots was the perfect encapsulation of the season, as Garrett tallied an unbelievable 5.0 sacks of Drake Maye, as well as a forced fumble. Still, the Browns fell way short, losing 32-13 despite hanging tough in the first half.
Garrett expressed plenty of frustration on the sideline, slamming his helmet down as the game slipped away from Cleveland on Sunday, which is understandable. Dillon Gabriel was awful, and at times, it felt like Garrett was out there playing 1-on-11.
Criticism of Myles Garrett for sideline reaction is baseless, and Browns fans know it
But some analysts and former players are taking things too far when talking about his sideline antics. Some are saying that the Browns need to trade him, and others are blaming Garrett for re-signing in Cleveland, saying that he knew what he signed up for or that his hefty contract is hindering the team.
Of course, neither of these two things is true, and the fan base knows it. Of course, Garrett said goodbye to the team and fan base early this offseason when he formally requested a trade amid a contractual dispute, but he ended up re-signing.
General manager Andrew Berry's tendency to backload contracts indicated that a deal was never going to happen anyway. The amount of dead cap space that the team would have taken on had they traded Garrett would have been enough so that fielding a sufficient team would be incredibly difficult.
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With Garrett unlikely to be traded, he really had no other option than to sign a massive, record-breaking extension. After all, he's earned it more than any player in the league has earned that kind of money.
Cleveland hasn't exactly fielded a great team around Garrett this season anyway, but at least they've got several intriguing young pieces on rookie contracts that they can start playing a lot more after their Week 9 bye, considering this season already feels a bit lost.
Nobody in Browns country is pointing the finger at Garrett, and nobody should be criticizing the superstar for re-signing with the team. Garrett expressed frustration in yet another devastating loss, and fans know that he'd trade every bit of individual success he had for a win.