Cleveland Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett is now the all-time leader in sacks in a single season. The man who lost the record congratulated him.
Garrett locked up his 23rd sack of the 2025 season in the final game of the campaign against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In doing so, he set the record – previously a tie at 22.5 sacks, shared between New York Giants legend Michael Strahan and Pittsburgh Steelers star TJ Watt.
Strahan, a Super Bowl champion and an NFL analyst for Fox Sports, shared a congratulatory message to Garrett via his employer’s social media.
‘Myles, congratulations my friend,’ Strahan said. ‘Welcome to the elite class of the NFL. NFL all-time single-season sack Leader.
‘You know how I feel about you. I’ve always been proud of you. I always love watching you. I’ve always been the biggest fan of you. I know one day you’re going to be in the Hall of Fame, and I’m going to be right there sitting behind you, listening to you give an incredible speech.
Michael Strahan offered congratulations to the new single-season sack leader, Myles Garrett
Garrett (95) secured his 23rd sack of the season to break Strahan’s old record
‘I know you still have a lot of football left in you, man. So even though this record is what it is now, I do have a feeling you actually could break it in the future. But hopefully when you do it, I’m there to watch in person. I am so happy for you, man.
‘Congratulations to you and your family, because this is an award for everybody, and something you can hang your hat on in the future. Congrats, bud.’
On air, Strahan did seem to indicate that his record should hold higher value than Garrett’s current mark – considering he did so in fewer games.
‘I mean, I hold the record for a 16-game season. [Garrett holds] a record for a 17-game season. That’s the way it works out,’ Strahan said to laughs from his colleagues. ‘You can’t compare records from 12-game seasons to 16 or 17-game seasons. It doesn’t work.’
But Strahan did give Garrett his flowers: ‘This young man is amazing, absolutely amazing. And I know that he has so many more sacks left in him… I think he’s just getting going, he’s just finding his stride.
Garrett, who won Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, is favored to win the award again
‘And you don’t know how hard it is to do that on a team that isn’t always in the lead, a team that isn’t always competitive. I think that is the most amazing thing about it. He’s done it on a team where he’s the focus.
‘He’s the guy that gets doubled and tripled every time and it never stopped him from going out there and putting up numbers year after year without playing with the lead. I mean, this kid is amazing.
‘And I really just want him to be on a team, which hopefully will be Cleveland because he signed a long term deal there, that wins and gives him an opportunity to have the ultimate thing in this game of a team game, which is a Super Bowl.’
Garrett, who won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, is the heavy favorite to claim the award again this season.
