When Myles Garrett signed his four-year contract extension with the Browns, it was a record deal at the time. It also ended his offseason trade request and showed he was willing to stay with Cleveland for the long term. What came next was another losing season for the Browns, who are 4-12 going into their Week 18 game against the Bengals.
Garrett has been amazing on his own. With 22 sacks, he is just half a sack behind the single-season sack record held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. But the team keeps struggling, which raises questions about coach Kevin Stefanski’s future. He will finish with his fourth losing season in six years, though he won NFL Coach of the Year honors in the other two seasons.
“Unfortunately more downs than ups,” Garrett said about his time under Stefanski, according to Sports Illustrated. When asked if he wanted stability in the organization, he said, “I want things to be successful, however that looks. I don’t know what the future holds, whether it’s with him or anything else. I’m going to look forward to playing under whoever it is. I’m going to be happy to be here, being a Brown regardless.”
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Garrett wants wins, not rebuilds from Cleveland
That wasn’t a strong show of support for Stefanski from Cleveland’s best player. While Garrett said he’s happy with the Browns, he made it clear he doesn’t want to go through a rebuild. Similar to how Jaylen Brown’s historic scoring streak has shown individual excellence, Garrett wants team success to match his personal achievements.
“I am committed to winning,” Garrett said. “As long as the team and the organization are doing so and they’re committed to that same thing, then I’m all on board. But if we’re thinking other than winning, if it’s tanking or rebuilding, that’s not me.”
The Browns are 7-26 since their playoff trip in 2023, so things can only get better. But it’s hard to see this situation as anything other than a rebuild. The Browns defense was solid in 2025, but the offense has many questions from top to bottom.
Rookie Shedeur Sanders has been decent as the team’s starter since taking over in late November. But he hasn’t been good enough for Cleveland to build around him as their long-term starting quarterback.
Like athletes in other sports dealing with uncertainty, such as Charlotte Flair’s concerns about returning from injury, the Browns face questions about their competitive future.
The Browns are set to pick sixth in the draft and could look for a quarterback early or try to find one in free agency. Finding answers in free agency has become more common lately, with success stories like the Seahawks’ Sam Darnold and former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Without several major additions to the offense, it’s hard to see the Browns competing in 2026 at the level Garrett expects.
Published: Jan 3, 2026 02:30 pm