Outside of Cleveland, not much is expected of the Browns in 2025. That perception won't cause star pass rusher Myles Garrett to lower his expectations.
"I mean, I expect to get to the Super Bowl," Garrett said on Wednesday, via the Akron Beacon Journal. "That's our expectation every year. I expect to run back to Defensive Player of the Year, so keeping both those things in mind, I have to be the very best player I can be every single day, whether we're practicing or playing. As soon as I step in the building, I have to be the best version of myself and the best leader I can possibly be."
Coming off a three-win season, Garrett initially requested a trade this offseason due in part to his assessment that the Browns wouldn't be competing for championships. The pass rusher changed gears and signed a $40 million-per-year contract extension in Cleveland.
The 29-year-old said his expectations for himself and the club go hand-in-hand.
"You got to channel it," Garrett said. "I have such high expectations for the team because I have such high expectations for myself. The team's going to go as I go. I'm going to try to be the driving factor behind that and create a standard in which everyone has to chase every single day."
It shouldn't be a surprise to hear a player set his goals high. Every athlete who reaches the pinnacle of his profession must possess that mentality. Otherwise, he'd have fallen off the cliff long ago. No arduous task is too tall, even if it might appear so from outside the building.
Garrett believes last year's disappointment will help play a role in what he views as a swift turnaround in Cleveland.
"The fact that we came off such a down year and guys weren't satisfied," Garrett said. "Guys were really disappointed because they knew what we had in the locker room, within ourselves, and it wouldn't be a letdown if this was the expectation, but it is because we know we have far more in the tank. We have a great core unit, a lot of young guys, and there's a lot of juice to squeeze. So we're going to continue to try to find the best ways to put guys in position to make plays for us, whether it's offense or defense, and even special teams, and I think we'll really be able to turn the page this year coming up."
If you squint, you can see the makings of a club that could surprise, particularly if the defense is as stingy as it looks on paper. However, the uncertainty under center -- where Cleveland is holding a competition between four QBs -- dampens most of the enthusiasm.
