The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Top pick Garrett signs four-year deal
Look out, Ben Roethlisberger. Myles Garrett has his money, and now all he has to think about is chasing you down.
The Browns on May 19 signed Garrett — the first overall pick in the 2017 draft — to a four-year contract with an option for a fifth year.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the deal with worth $30.4 million with a $20.25 million signing bonus.
It will be nearly impossible for Garrett to match all the predraft hype he received unless he breaks the defensive huddle wearing a Superman cape instead of a Browns’ jersey, but the 6-foot4, 272-pound defensive end is eager to show what he can do.
“I’m going to be a playmaker,” Garrett said on May 12 during the Browns rookie minicamp in Berea. “No matter where they put me or what kind of plays they have, I know they’re going to put me in the best position to make plays. I’m not really bothered. They’re going to blitz me. They’re going to let me go and wreak havoc, and I’m excited for it.”
Garrett was on a conference call soon after being drafted on April 27 and stirred the Browns rivalry with Pittsburgh by saying one of the first things on his agenda was sacking Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Browns host the Steelers in the season opener on Sept. 10.
“I think that was kind of blown up, but I stand by it,” Garrett said at minicamp. “We’re looking to get after him. Why should I be afraid of saying those kinds of things? That’s what any team would say or any player would say.
“You’re trying to make a name for yourself. You’re trying to go out there and win games just like they are. They’re not going to shy away from the challenge, and neither are we.”
Garrett, universally regarded as the top player in the draft last month, played in 34 career games at Texas A&M and finished with 31 sacks, 141 tackles and seven forced fumbles.
The Browns have signed six of their 10 2017 draft picks — defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (third round), cornerback Howard Wilson (fourth round), offensive tackle Rod Johnson (fifth round), kicker Zane Gonzalez (seventh round) and running back Matthew Dayes (seventh round).
The Browns have had only two winning seasons since returning to the NFL as an expansion team in 1999, yet as bad as they’ve been for nearly two decades, they went 17 years without winning the booby prize of the first-draft pick — their reward for finishing 1-15 in 2016.
Prior to Garrett, they took defensive end Courtney Brown of Penn State in 2000 the last time they had the first pick in the draft. Brown, hampered by injuries, was a major bust for the Browns. He played and started 47 of a possible 80 games with the Browns over five years. But because Brown and Garrett play the same position and were drafted first overall by the same team, Brown will shadow Garrett like the Grim Reaper until Garrett proves he is worthy of the Browns’ confidence.
“I think you’ll find he’s an old soul,” Browns EVP of Football Operations Sashi Brown said on April 27 after drafting Garrett. “He doesn’t seem like a guy that’s going to be either fazed by the limelight or success. Frankly, he’s just a competitive kid that loves football, wants to be the best, wants to be the best at it, maybe the best ever.
“Our psych testing and background testing on him, he was off the charts. Physically, you guys have seen him. I don’t think there has been a better prospect that has come out in terms of an athlete at that size in some time. It gives him an awesome opportunity to be really successful for us and an impact player Day One.”
That Superman cape is going to get a workout.
In other Browns news, the team signed defensive tackle Caleb Brantley, a sixth-round pick from Florida.