Michael Strahan Jokingly Tries to Undermine Newly-Crowned Sack Leader Myles Garrett

Myles Garrett finally broke Michael Strahan's sack record that had stood for more than 20 years but Strahan claimed his achievement was better because he took fewer games to make it.

Michael Strahan Jokingly Tries to Undermine Newly-Crowned Sack Leader Myles Garrett

Myles Garrett and Michael Strahan inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

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Myles Garrett was just one sack away from surpassing Michael Strahan and TJ Watt as the NFL’s single-season sack leader. He blew several chances in Week 17, leaving him with just one game to break the record.

Garrett’s target shifted to the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, whom he had sacked several times in the past. His moment arrived five minutes before the end of the fourth quarter.

Burrow’s awkward attempt at a slide gave Garrett the chance to record his 23rd sack of the season. Super Bowl-winning defensive end turned FOX Sports analyst Strahan reacted to Garrett breaking his record, which had stood for more than two decades.

Myles, congratulations, my friend. Welcome to the elite class of the NFL. NFL all-time single-season sack Leader.

Michael Strahan stated

However, the former New York Giant wondered if Garrett’s record deserved an asterisk, given that he had the advantage of playing one extra game.

I hold the record for a 16-game [NFL] season. [Myles Garrett holds] a record for a 17-game season. That’s the way it works out. You can’t compare records from 12-game seasons to 16 or 17-game seasons. It doesn’t work.

Michael Strahan joked while his colleague laughed

Strahan set the previous sack record (22.5) during the 2001 season. Watt tied with Strahan in 2021. Garrett’s previous best was 16 in back-to-back seasons (2021 and 2022).

Michael Strahan makes a bold prediction about Myles Garrett’s future

Garrett is among the best pass rushers in football and has won the Defensive Player of the Year award as recently as 2023. In 2025, the NFL gave Garrett his seventh Pro Bowl nod. He is also in the running for an All-Pro accolade as he finished the year with 60 total tackles (joint most with the 2022 season), a league-best 33 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and one pass deflection.

Michael Strahan Jokingly Tries to Undermine Newly-Crowned Sack Leader Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett (Image via IMAGO)

Despite Garrett’s individual brilliance, the Browns never looked like a team that could qualify for the playoffs, let alone challenge for the Super Bowl. The Browns were eliminated from playoff contention a long time ago, and the victory over the Bengals only improved their season to 5-12.

Strahan may have joked about the sack record, but credited Garrett for the achievement despite playing for a bottom-tier team.

You don’t know how hard it is to do that on a team that isn’t always in the lead, a team that isn’t always competitive. I think that is the most amazing thing about it. He’s done it on a team where he’s the focus. 

Strahan said

Still, Strahan hopes Garrett will keep playing for the Browns and work to turn the team into a winning organization.

Hopefully, [Garrett] will be [in] Cleveland because he signed a long-term deal there, that wins and gives him an opportunity to have the ultimate thing in this game of a team game, which is a Super Bowl.

Strahan quipped

Garrett, for a brief period, became the highest-paid non-quarterback after signing a four-year, $160 million extension in the erstwhile offseason. Currently, that title belongs to Green Bay Packers pass rusher Micah Parsons.

The Browns could enter a new era in the next few weeks. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Browns may replace Kevin Stefanski with a different head coach. Whoever comes in will have the sixth overall pick to work with in the next draft.

Their priority should be to find a solution for the quarterback position. Shedeur Sanders has shown flashes of brilliance despite limited first-team opportunities. However, it’s unclear whether the new coach would even prefer Sanders as his starting quarterback. In that case, the draft becomes a key way to find potential franchise talent.

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