Myles Lorenz Garrett (born December 29, 1995) is an American football defensive end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, where he received unanimous All-American honors in 2016, and was selected first overall by the Browns in the 2017 NFL draft. Garrett has been named to five Pro Bowls, three first-team All-Pros, and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
Garrett attended Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, where he was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In football, he had 19.5 sacks as a senior and was the 2013 recipient of the Landry Award, given to the top high school player in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Garrett was rated as a five-star recruit by the Rivals.com recruiting network and was ranked as the second best overall player in his class. He committed to play college football at Texas A&M University in October 2013. In track & field, he was a state qualifier in the throwing events, with top-throws of 16.01 meters in the shot put and 50.84 meters in the discus throw.
Garrett came to Texas A&M as the #2 overall prospect in the nation. As a true freshman in 2014, Garrett broke Texas A&M's freshman sack record of 5.5 in only six games. In only nine games, he broke Jadeveon Clowney's Southeastern Conference (SEC) freshman sack record of eight. Garrett finished the season with 11.5 sacks (second in the SEC), 53 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries, and a blocked kick (which teammate Deshazor Everett returned for a touchdown against Auburn). He was a consensus Freshman All-American by USA Today and Freshman All-SEC selection. After the conclusion of the season, Garrett announced that he would undergo surgery to repair torn ligaments in his hand, an injury that occurred in the sixth game of the season, against Mississippi State.
On December 31, 2016, Garrett announced his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2017 NFL Draft. He was projected to be a top ten selection and was ranked No. 1 on ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board. Garrett attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and completed the majority of combine drills, but opted to skip the three-cone drill and short shuttle. Garrett solidified his position as a top ten pick with an impressive combine performance. His 41” vertical jump was the top performance of all defensive linemen and he also finished with the second best performance in the bench press and broad jump. Garrett also had the third fastest 40-yard dash of all defensive linemen at the combine, which highly impressed scouts due to his size. On March 30, 2017, Garrett attended Texas A&M's Pro Day and chose to perform the 40-yard dash (4.65s), 20-yard dash (2.71), 10-yard dash (1.57s), and broad jump (10’6”).
On December 31, 2016, Garrett officially declared his intention to enter the 2017 NFL draft.
On April 30, 2017, two days after the 2017 NFL draft, Garrett, along with fellow first rounders Jabrill Peppers and David Njoku, were at Progressive Field, and threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
On May 19, 2017, the Browns signed Garrett to a fully guaranteed four-year, $30.41 million contract that features a $20.25 million signing bonus, offset language options, and a team option for a fifth year.
Garrett was required to meet with officials from Commissioner Roger Goodell's office before being reinstated for the 2020 season. Months later, before his reinstatement hearing, Garrett alleged for the first time publicly that Rudolph directed a "racial slur" at him. Garrett claimed he discussed the alleged slur immediately after the altercation with former general manager John Dorsey, head coach Freddie Kitchens, and Ogunjobi, his best friend. An investigation found no evidence to support his claim. Garrett's suspension was the second-longest suspension in NFL history for on-field misconduct, and the longest for a single in-game incident. (Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict was suspended for 12 games in 2019 due to a history of violations of player safety rules.)
Garrett was reinstated from his suspension on February 12, 2020. On April 27, 2020, the Browns exercised the fifth-year option on Garrett's contract. He signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension with the team on July 15, 2020. In Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Garrett recorded a strip sack on rookie quarterback Joe Burrow which was recovered by the Browns during the 35–30 win. In Week 3 against the Washington Football Team, Garrett sacked Dwayne Haskins twice, including a strip sack that was recovered by himself during the 34–20 win. In a Week 4 game against the Dallas Cowboys, Garrett sacked Dak Prescott twice, one of which was a strip sack that resulted in a turnover, during the 49–38 win. His performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Garrett sacked Joe Burrow two more times and forced a fumble that was recovered by the Browns during the 37–34 win. As the month closed, Garrett won AFC Defensive Player of the Month for October after compiling six sacks, 14 tackles, four for a loss, and two forced fumbles. On November 20, 2020, Garrett was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list missing the Browns Week 11 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Garrett was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on December 1, 2020. He was named to the Pro Bowl.
On September 28, 2021, a mural of Garrett (as a young child) and his grandmother Juanita was unveiled in the Playhouse Square district in downtown Cleveland.
On September 26, 2022, Garrett was involved in a one-car crash leaving the team facility. The incident occurred near Wadsworth, Ohio. He suffered minor injuries and was released from the hospital the same day.
On October 25, 2023, it was announced Garrett had purchased a minority ownership stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Along with his ownership stake, Garrett serves as an ambassador for the team.