The move was shocking Monday afternoon as the Cleveland Browns traded away two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams.
Garrett reportedly didn’t request a trade this time, but the Browns decided they didn’t fit the star pass rusher’s timeline. That gets a game-wrecker out of the AFC North, which is good news to Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday ahead of the first minicamp practice, McCarthy weighed in on the Garrett trade.
“I’m all for it,” McCarthy said of the trade, according to video via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on X. “No, I…Myles Garrett is a phenomenal player. I had a chance to compete against him two years ago, so when you see these types of situations, it happens, and he obviously will have a great opportunity out there in LA.
“These trades and transactions, I’m never surprised, too, but what a great player.”
Garrett has terrorized the AFC North throughout his career, generating 43.0 of his 125.5 career sacks against the likes of the Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
He’s a seven-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro (five first-teams) for a reason. Last season under Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in Week 17, the Steelers made sure Garrett didn’t wreck the game. In turn, it wrecked the Steelers’ entire offensive approach in a 13-6 loss.
Now, the Steelers won’t have to worry about that under McCarthy. Though the Browns received a good pass rusher in Jared Verse in return, he’s no Garrett.
In a 2024 matchup against the McCarthy-led Cowboys, Garrett had one sack in a 33-17 Browns loss to Dallas. That was rather fitting for Garrett and a microcosm of his career, with a lot of individual production but very few wins or team success to show for it.
Now, he’s off to Los Angeles to try and win a Super Bowl, resetting his career in his age 30 season. He’s on a Hall-of-Fame path and was a thorn in the side of the AFC North for nearly a decade. But no longer, and that’s an exciting thought for everyone in the rugged division, especially the first-year head coach in the Steel City.