The Cleveland Browns threw a buttload of money at Myles Garrett to try to keep him happy, or just quiet. After a public spectacle of a trade request, he subsequently agreed to a no-trade clause following his massive extension. Having secured the financial future of generations of his family, he can now focus on football.
The Browns want Garrett to focus on being a better Brown. A better leader, a better teammate, doing more than just leading by example. It’s not too much to ask, I imagine, considering how much they are paying him. If he doesn’t know how to lead, he can take some of that money and put it toward leadership training.
But that is what the Browns want to see from Myles Garrett, and that comes straight from the top. “What we’ve challenged Myles on is, by his practice habits, by his actions, etc., to become a real leader of the team”, owner Jimmy Haslam told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com last week. “And he has said he’d do that and we’re hopeful that he will be”.
For his part, Garrett talked about being more of a leader after the Browns signed him to the extension. He said that leadership doesn’t come from dollar signs but can come from anywhere. He admitted that he wants to “continue to learn to be more of a leader”, which is clearly a work in progress.
Last month, The Athletic reported that Future Great Leader Myles Garrett is “frequently late” to the Browns’ facility. Beyond that, he has skipped mandatory workouts on multiple occasions, not to mention the voluntary ones. Last year, when Cameron Heyward skipped some OTAs amid a contract dispute, Steelers fans made a big stink about it, enough to pressure him to report.
Last season, Myles Garrett became the first player in NFL history to record at least 14 sacks in four consecutive seasons. Over the past four seasons, he has 60 sacks in all, with 74 tackles for loss and 10 forced fumbles. Fans of the Browns’ rivals will try to deny it, but he is obviously one of the best players in the game.
But the owner of your team doesn’t publicly challenge you to be a “real leader” if there isn’t a problem. Not so much a “problem”, perhaps, but at least a deficit. It’s obvious that the Browns want Garrett to take more ownership of what they’re doing. Leading by example only takes you so far.
Haslam noted that Garrett is more introverted, but so is T.J. Watt, and he and other introverts find ways to lead. Introversion doesn’t mean shyness, nor does it mean timidity. What it means is that social interaction is draining more so than energizing. An introvert can be just as loud and annoying as an extrovert—he just has to recharge himself afterward. And I think Steelers fans can agree that Garrett can be rather loud and annoying sometimes.
