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Michael Strahan Had Classy Message After Myles Garrett Broke His Sack Record

Kristen Wong

Michael Strahan reacted to seeing Myles Garrett break his all-time NFL sack record of 22.5 sacks.
Michael Strahan reacted to seeing Myles Garrett break his all-time NFL sack record of 22.5 sacks. / Screengrab on Twitter/ @NFLonFOX
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From one great pass-rusher to another, Giants legend Michael Strahan would like to give Myles Garrett a hearty congratulations—with one cheeky caveat.

Strahan shared his live reaction to Garrett setting the NFL's new single-season sack record on Fox Sports' postgame show on Sunday, and he couldn't help but point out one small, not-to-be-forgotten detail.

"I mean I hold the record for a 16-game season, they hold the record for a 17-game season," Strahan said, referring to Garrett's and Steelers' T.J. Watt's respective historic sack totals. Garrett notched his record-setting 23rd sack of the year in the Browns' season finale against the Bengals, while Watt racked up 22.5 sacks in 2021, tying Strahan's record from '01.

With his joke out of the way, Strahan went on to praise the Browns star pass-rusher for what he's been able to accomplish on a 5-12 team that fell far short of the playoffs this year.

"This young man is amazing. Absolutely amazing," continued Strahan. "And I know that he has so many more sacks left in him. He's 30 years old. I think I had just as many if not more sacks after 30 as did Bruce Smith, as did Reggie White. I think he's just getting going, he's just finding his stride. And you don't know how hard that 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, he's the guy that gets doubled and tripled every time, and it's never stopped him from going out there and putting up numbers year after year."

Nothing but respect from the Giants icon.

Strahan added that he hoped Garrett would find not only individual success but team success in his NFL future, with the 30-year-old making the playoffs just twice (in 2020 and '23) in his nine-year career with the Browns. The four-time All-Pro will be watching postseason football from his couch this winter yet again after Cleveland finished with a 5-12 record at the bottom of the AFC North.

Despite Shedeur Sanders's strong finish to his rookie season, the Browns still face looming questions about their quarterback position heading into 2026 and could undergo some coaching changes this offseason as well. It took Strahan 15 years before he finally won a Super Bowl in his last campaign with the Giants. Hopefully Garrett—who memorably requested a trade from the Browns before this season—can shorten that timeline for himself.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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