Back in early February, Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett made his trade request public with a statement that noted his goal was to compete for a Super Bowl.
But then Garrett and Cleveland agreed to a massive contract extension that will pay him an average of $40 million per year, which got one of the best players in franchise history back in the fold.
Even as the Browns do not appear to be a contender entering 2025, Garrett’s goals have not changed.
“I mean, I expect to get to the Super Bowl. That’s our expectation every year,” Garrett said on Wednesday, via Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I expect to run back to Defensive Player of the Year, so keeping both those things in mind, I have to be the very best player I can be every single day, whether we’re practicing or playing. As soon as I step in the building, I have to be [the] best version of myself and the best leader I can possibly be.”
While Garrett was clearly frustrated with the direction of the team in the offseason, he says now that it’s got to be channeled in the right way.
“I have such high expectations for the team because I have such high expectations for myself,” Garrett said. “The team’s going to go as I go, I’m going to try to be the driving factor behind that and create a standard in which everyone has to chase every single day.”
Plus, after a 3-14 season, Garrett feels like players want to bounce back after being so unsatisfied.
“Guys were really disappointed because they knew what we had in the locker room, within ourselves, and it wouldn’t be a letdown if this was the expectation, but it is because we know we have far more in the tank,” Garrett said. “We have a great core unit, a lot of young guys and there’s a lot of juice to squeeze. So we’re going to continue to try to find the best ways to put guys in position to make plays for us, whether it’s offense or defense and even special teams and I think we’ll really be able to turn the page this year coming up.”
