Is Myles Garrett part of Browns' supposed culture problems?

Cleveland Browns star pass-rusher Myles Garrett was on the receiving end of some criticisms regarding a supposed lack of leadership qualities long before he publicly made it known in early February he wanted to be traded to an advertised championship contender. 

For a piece published Thursday, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic suggested that the Browns locking Garrett down via a massive four-year, $160M extension that included $123.5M guaranteed could do more harm than good for the team's locker-room culture. 

"I hope, at the very least, this contract brings a sense of responsibility rather than entitlement for Garrett," Lloyd wrote. "It’s well known within the Browns that Garrett is frequently late to the facility. He has skipped mandatory team activities on multiple occasions. Veterans typically police the locker room on those types of things and create the culture of accountability, but here, it’s the best player breaking the rules. That has to change now."

Back in the summer of 2023, former Browns defensive lineman Malik Jackson raised eyebrows when he said during an NFL Network appearance that he felt Garrett needed "to take that bull by the horns and just lead more by example as far as in the classroom."

Jackson added that Garrett should "be able to go in the classroom, command that respect and tell guys what to do." The 2023 Browns later went 11-6 en route to earning a playoff berth, and Garrett was ultimately named NFL Defensive Player of the Year for that season.

More recently, it was reported in January that some veteran Browns players "felt like a cloud had been lifted" after quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a torn Achilles on Oct. 20, 2024. It's believed the biggest reason Watson agreed to a trade from the Houston Texans to the Browns in March 2022 is that he received a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M deal from Cleveland. 

"If Garrett truly wanted out of Cleveland," Lloyd continued,
"if he really wanted to prioritize winning at this stage of life, those feelings won’t dissipate because of a few extra zeroes on his checks. It’s clear by now that Watson never wanted to be in Cleveland. He took the money and we know how it ended. Now it’s Garrett’s turn."

Garrett showed throughout his Super Bowl LIX Radio Row media tour that he's willing to speak openly about his thoughts on the state of the Browns. It could be interesting to see how he responds to takes offered by Lloyd and others over the next handful of months.