With huge money comes huge responsibility. That’s how it’s going to be for Myles Garrett. Or at least that’s what Cleveland is expecting from him. The Browns didn’t blink when Myles Garrett hinted at wanting out. Instead of letting him walk, they made it crystal clear: the team isn’t going anywhere without their superstar edge rusher. So they did what desperate teams do: handed him a monster four-year, $160 million extension and locked him in. But now that the deal’s inked and the dust’s settled, Cleveland’s showing a different side.

Suddenly, the Browns have added words like accountability, practice habits, actions, etc., to the dictionary they’re using for Myles. Well, it’s not wrong to ask your highest-paid player to be accountable, but the tone the Browns are using? It sounds like, all of a sudden, they want him to turn into a messiah. Enter Mike Florio and Chris Simms, who on the latest episode of NFL on NBC discuss whether it’s justifiable to ask Garrett to change his style entering Year Nine. 

Florio called out the Browns for suddenly throwing the DE under the bus after a few reports started surfacing about Garrett being late and not showing up for team meetings. “We start hearing the reporting that he’s chronically late for things and doesn’t show up for things. It’s like, what the hell, who the hell, like, they’re paying the guy, and he’s staying. And they’re going to crap on him,” said Florio. 

The timing of these reports raised eyebrows. It almost felt like someone was doing it intentionally, like they had a beef with Myles. “I don’t know how that information came to be, but the impression was somebody decided they’re pissed off about Myles Garrett, so they’re going to crap on him a little bit,” he added. 

And if publicly throwing shade at the DE wasn’t enough, owner Jimmy Haslam made a strong demand from Garrett.

Browns flip the script on Myles Garrett post-extension

It’s no secret that Myles has been the leader of the Browns’ D-line for years now. So you don’t need a six-time Pro Bowler and Defensive Player of the Year to tell him how to play. Not publicly, at least. But now, all of a sudden, the Browns want the 29-year-old to be more than just a dominant pass rusher; they want a vocal leader too. Recently, team owner Jimmy Haslam laid out some strong new demands. “By his practice habits, by his actions, etc.,” Haslam told Cleveland.com, “we’ve challenged Myles to become a real leader of the team.” It’s almost like saying, ‘Now that you’ve got $160 million, you need to lead by example -on and off the field.‘

Chris Simms pointed out this sudden change as well. “Now they want him to transform, and they think that just because they gave him a big contract, that’s going to happen. Do we think he’s just going to magically change at this stage of his career into something he isn’t. Just because they addressed his desire to leave by giving him more money?” said Chris Simms.

Interestingly, the problem has never been Myles Garrett because the DE always delivers. There’s a reason he’s been to the Pro Bowl for five straight seasons. Maybe it’s not Garrett who needs to change, but the rest of the team that needs fixing. As Mike Florio puts it, “Garrett does not need more money to show his leadership skills. The Browns just need better players. Perhaps drafting Abdul Carter from Penn State with the second overall selection will help add more leadership and talent to a defense which seems devoid of both.“

Simms offers a different perspective on the team’s demands, suggesting Garrett could see it like, “I’m already dominating on the field. Let me step up the off-the-field leadership stuff, too.” But at the end of the day, it won’t be about whether Myles Garrett gave a locker room speech or showed up five minutes early to practice. It’ll be about talent, or the lack of it.