Myles Garrett made NFL history Sunday afternoon, recording his 23rd sack of the 2025 season and surpassing a record that had stood for nearly a quarter-century.
The Cleveland Browns defensive end brought down Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow late in the fourth quarter, cementing not only a dramatic 20-18 victory but also his place atop the league’s single-season sack leaderboard.
The milestone eclipsed Michael Strahan‘s long-held mark of 22.5 sacks from 2001, a record later tied by T.J. Watt in 2021.
It was a milestone year in the making for one of the league’s most feared pass rushers. The Browns‘ defensive end, selected No. 1 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, had come into Sunday’s regular-season finale on the cusp of history, needing just one more takedown to eclipse the legendary mark.
When he finally did it with just over five minutes to play, the moment was met with jubilation at Paycor Stadium and across the league.
But even as the Browns and their fans celebrated, much of the chatter turned to the man who held the record for nearly a quarter of a century.
Strahan jokes about Garrett achievement
Strahan, a Hall of Famer and one of the most dominant defensive players in NFL history, offered a candid, gracious acknowledgement of Garrett‘s achievement on Fox Sports‘ postgame show.
“I mean I hold the record for a 16game season, they hold the record for a 17game season,” Strahan said with a wry smile, referencing the NFL‘s schedule expansion that gave modern players more opportunities to accumulate statistics.
The NFL officially began recording sacks as a statistic in 1982, and since then, the singleseason record has undergone only minor shifts, until now.
Strahan‘s 22.5 sacks in 2001 set a standard many believed might stand for decades. T.J. Watt tied that mark in 2021, and until this season, no one had managed to top it.
Garrett the standout in disappointing Cleveland season
Garrett‘s 2025 campaign was a master class in passrush consistency.
After a relatively quiet start with four sacks in his first six games, he erupted over the second half of the season, posting multiple multisack performances and climbing steadily up the leaderboard.
By Week 18, he stood alone at the summit with 23.0 sacks, a new official NFL high.
His feat comes in a season in which defensive pressure was at a premium across the league, yet Garrett stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Even as the Browns struggled to a 512 finish and missed the playoffs, he delivered one of the most memorable individual seasons in league history.
Strahan, while quick to add levity about the number of games played, didn’t hold back in his admiration for what Garrett has accomplished. “This young man is amazing. Absolutely amazing,” he said.
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