Over the years,Myles Garrett was the poster boy for theCleveland Browns’ defense. His game stats did the talking. Sacks were aplenty, accolades poured in, and his opposing quarterbacks knew he was coming at them week in, week out.
Yet,Mary Kay Cabot, who knows her way around the Browns better than most people, says that sometimes great performance doesn’t equal great bonds among fellow teammates.
Mary Kay Cabot Tells All About Myles Garrett’s Relationship With Browns’ Teammates
Jun 6, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett throws out the honorary first pitch before a game between the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images
Appearing on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast after the blockbuster trade involving Garrett to theLos Angeles Rams, Cabot explained why there wasn’t much fanfare from Garrett’s former teammates. The problem had nothing to do with Garrett’s talent or hard work but with his relationships.
“When you talk about the fact that [fans] haven’t seen guys write or say a lot about Myles, I think that there are some reasons for that. If you look back to the previous year when he went all around the Super Bowl asking to get the heck out of Dodge, I don’t think that necessarily said ‘team building’ to a lot of guys.
I’ve also been told that even though Myles was very well-respected and, in some cases, revered, he wasn’t necessarily loved by his teammates. He didn’t inspire that warm and fuzzy, big, booming kind of love that some people have for their teammates.”
Mary Kay Cabot of https://t.co/Q57vtHb1cp said Myles Garrett was highly respected within the Browns organization but did not necessarily have the type of close, “warm” relationships with teammates that generate strong personal bonding in the locker room.
"When you talk about the… pic.twitter.com/MwQDsXTXN9
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Cabot made it clear this was not a case of locker-room dysfunction or teammates turning against Garrett. However, she described a star player who commanded respect through performance rather than personality.
Garrett’s public trade request during Super Bowl week reportedly created distance inside the building, while teammates continued to rely on his dominance on the field, some may have questioned his long-term commitment to the organization.
That distinction matters. Players can admire a teammate’s greatness without even developing the emotional bond often associated with franchise leaders.
During his Browns tenure, Garrett built a Hall of Fame résumé with multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, five first-team All-Pro selections, and 125.5 career sacks. Yet leadership comes in different forms, and Cabot’s comments suggest Garrett’s influence was rooted more in production than personal connection.
As the Browns begin a new era with Jared Verse and additional draft capital acquired in the trade, the Browns are not just replacing one of the NFL’s most dominant defenders. They’re reshaping the identity of their locker room.