Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett offered up a one-word response when asked if he believes he is in a similar situation to that of franchise legend Joe Thomas
09:20 ET, 13 Oct 2025
Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns walks of the field after being defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the game at Acrisure Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Myles Garrett walks of the field
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett believes himself to be in the same situation as franchise legend Joe Thomas after the team dropped to 1-5 on the year following Sunday's 23-9 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A week after their agonizing loss across the Atlantic to the Minnesota Vikings in London, Cleveland lost once again, this time falling on the road to their AFC North rivals. The 2025 Browns season looks increasingly similar to their 2024 season, which saw them finish up 3-14.
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And another losing season this year will mean that Garrett, drafted first overall out of Texas A&M back in 2017, will only have experienced two winning seasons during his nine years with the Browns. There can be no mistake, Garrett is one of the NFL's best players.
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Come the end of his career, he will be a first ballot Hall of Famer. However, team success has evaded the 29-year-old, who earlier this year demanded a trade away from Cleveland.
However, money talks. In the end, Garrett reneged on his trade demands when he agreed to terms on a monstrous four-year $160 million deal back in March, a deal which looks incredibly difficult for the Browns to be able to trade, given what it would take for another team to acquire him in terms of assets whilst also having to then take on the contact on top of that.
Right now, Garrett finds himself in almost the exact same position Browns franchise legend Joe Thomas did when he played for Cleveland.
Drafted third overall in the 2007 NFL Draft, Thomas, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023, played 11 seasons for Cleveland. However, during that time, the Browns won only 48 games, losing 128 times.
Asked by reporters following the defeat to Pittsburgh if he feels it is now getting "harder and harder to dig deep" when it comes to keeping his head up after another defeat, similar to how it was for Thomas, Garrett simply replied: "Yep."
Myles Garrett in action during the game
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Myles Garrett in action during the game
While some may have sympathy for Garrett, who has potentially wasted the best part of his prime playing for an organization that seemingly invites chaos upon themselves, others will point out that the 29-year-old did not have to sign an extension with Cleveland this offseason.
"It's frustrating," Garrett added on the defeat to Pittsburgh.
"To lose the same way every time, it's frustrating as hell."
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Having lost five games already this year, three of which came in defeats to AFC North teams, it would take a miracle, frankly, for Cleveland to make the postseason.
What seems more likely however is that Cleveland ends up with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, a pick they will almost certainly use on a quarterback.
Cleveland has two first-round picks this year, the second of which they picked up after trading down with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2025 NFL Draft who went up to selected Travis Hunter.