In case you missed it, Myles Garrett broke the NFL single-season sack record on Sunday. It took until the fourth quarter, but the Cleveland Browns pass rusher was finally able to get to Joe Burrow for his 23rd sack of the season. It was an incredible accomplishment, and former pass-rushing legend Aaron Donald is really happy to see Garrett break the record.
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Donald wasn’t just happy for Garrett, though. He was also impressed. He couldn’t believe the Browns defender was able to put up those numbers on a losing team. After all, defenses usually face more rushing attempts when they’re playing from behind. So the fact that Garrett reached the quarterback 23 times during a five-win season is remarkable.
Now, with the record under his belt, Donald wants to see Garrett cap it off with a Super Bowl ring.
“I’m happy for him, proud of him. Now, the next step is to be able to have some team success, get in that playoff run, and go get that guy a ring, man. It’s time to get him a ring,” Donald stated on The Inner Circle podcast.
A ring would catapult Garrett into another stratosphere on his career resume. It’s already common knowledge around the NFL community that he is a future Hall of Famer. But a Super Bowl win would elevate him into the conversation as perhaps the greatest edge rusher of all time.
Naturally, there were some haters and detractors surrounding Garrett’s achievement. Most notably, they argued it was less impressive because he had 17 games instead of 16 to reach the mark. But Donald has something to say to those critics.
“Man, who cares? It’s 17 games now. We can’t think about the past. We’re here now in 2026, the 17-game season. He accomplished it; he did it… It doesn’t matter if it was 12 games, 16 games, 17 games. That’s what it is for now,” Donald said.
The former LA Rams pass rusher retired after 10 seasons in the NFL in 2023. In 2018, he posted a 20.5-sack season, which is tied for ninth-best all time, and he did it in just 16 games. However, over the final three seasons of his career, Donald played in the 17-game era and still wasn’t able to crack the top three. That’s why Garrett’s record shouldn’t be downplayed.
Later on, Donald added thoughts on why he appreciates Garrett so much as a player.
“He’s a rounded football player… I’m a hard-working guy. I hear about the work he puts in during the offseason. I believe in- you put in what you get out. You put the body work in, it’s going to pay off in the long run. So, I love the work he put in,” Donald noted.
It’s understandable why the 10-time Pro Bowler appreciates Garrett so much. He notices the hard work Garrett puts in every offseason, and how it consistently pays off with elite end-of-year production. This season was the best yet for the Browns defender.
At the end of the day, Cleveland really does need to find a way to get Garrett a ring. Even if that’s through a major roster shift or a trade to another team, something has to give. Because it’s not fair for an NFL legend like him to ride off into the sunset without a Lombardi Trophy. It would even take away from his status as one of the defensive GOATs in football.
