Jimmy Haslam Says Browns 'Challenged' Myles Garrett to Be 'Real Leader of The Team'

The Cleveland Browns expected to lose Myles Garrett this offseason after the star pass rusher requested a trade, but the team convinced him to stay with a record contract extension.

After giving Garrett a deal that pays him $40 million per year, the Browns want more out of him off the field.

“What we’ve challenged Myles on is, by his practice habits, by his actions, etcetera, to become a real leader of the team,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said this week, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com (h/t Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams). “And he has said he’d do that and we’re hopeful that he will be.”

The Browns couldn't ask for much more from Garrett as a player. Since drafting him in 2017, he's racked up 102.5 sacks and has recorded double-digit sacks in each of the last seven years. He's received four First-Team All-Pro nods and was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.

Still, there are things Garrett can improve upon in the leadership department. The Athletic's Jason Lloyd reported after Garrett's extension that it is "well known" that he is "frequently late to the facility" and "has skipped mandatory team activities on multiple occasions."

If Garrett can combine his excellence on the field with veteran leadership, he could help change the culture in Cleveland and help the Browns turn things around.