Garrett breaks NFL's single-season sacks record
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett made history Sunday in the regular-season finale versus the Cincinnati Bengals, registering his 23rd sack of the season to set a new NFL record.
Garrett brought down Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter of Cleveland's 20-18 win.
MYLES GARRETT RECORD BREAKING SACK pic.twitter.com/rkZI6vo9iV
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 4, 2026
Garrett entered Sunday 0.5 sacks shy of Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt, who each had 22.5 sacks in a season. Strahan reached that mark in 2001, while Watt did so in '21.
| Player | Sacks | Team | Season | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett | 23 | Browns | 2025 | 17 |
| Watt | 22.5 | Steelers | 2021 | 15 |
| Strahan | 22.5 | Giants | 2001 | 16 |
| Jared Allen | 22 | Vikings | 2011 | 16 |
| Mark Gastineau | 22 | Jets | 1984 | 16 |
| Justin Houston | 22 | Chiefs | 2014 | 16 |
| Chris Doleman | 21 | Vikings | 1989 | 16 |
| Reggie White | 21 | Eagles | 1987 | 12 |
Garrett, a perennial first-team All-Pro, has reached double-digit sacks in each of the past eight seasons. He could've broken the record last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers but finished the matchup with no sacks.
Sacks were first officially tracked by the NFL in 1982. Unofficially, the single-season record belonged to Al Baker, who registered 23 sacks as a member of the Detroit Lions in '78.
Several superstar athletes congratulated Garrett for becoming the NFL's new single-season sack king, including Patrick Mahomes and LeBron James.
Congrats! 💪🏽💪🏽 @Flash_Garrett
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) January 4, 2026
CONGRATULATIONS MY GOOD BROTHER!!!!!!! @Flash_Garrett 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾💪🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 4, 2026