Myles Garrett is out of the AFC North and into the NFC West... and Pittsburgh Steelers fans are thrilled. When the news dropped that the Cleveland Browns had officially traded their future Hall of Fame edge rusher out not only out of the division but out of the conference entirely, Steelers fans rejoiced.
And head coach Mike McCarthy just said what everyone was thinking.
On Tuesday, McCarthy was asked about the Browns' decision to trade Garrett. His response was short and sweet, per Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.
“I’m all for it," McCarthy told the media.
Since entering the league in 2017, Garrett has racked up 47 tackles and 13 sacks when facing the Steelers. In recent years, former head coach Mike Tomlin's game plan against the Browns was to get rid of the football as quickly as possible when his quarterbacks went back to pass, to avoid Garrett wrecking the game.
Now out of the division, the Steelers will only face Garrett once every four years (barring divisional finishes), which means that it's possible Pittsburgh only has to face him one more time for the remainder of his career. Pittsburgh should be sending thank-you cards to the Browns.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans agree with Mike McCarthy's comments on the Browns' Myles Garrett trade
Only the Browns could find a way not to capitalize on a nearly decade-long window with one of the best defenders in the history of the game. Despite Garrett's dominance over the past nine seasons, which included top-ranked defensive units, Cleveland never resembled a contender, and they mustered up just one playoff win since 2017 (ironically, it was over the Pittsburgh Steelers)
Every Steelers fan can agree with McCarthy's comments: we're glad he's out of the AFC North.
As much as it pains us to admit it, Garrett is a generational player who single-handedly took over Browns games when facing the Steelers—even when his numbers didn't reflect his dominant performance in the box score.
Cleveland isn't coming away empty-handed. The Browns receive pass rusher Jared Verse, in addition to three draft picks over the next three seasons. Verse is an excellent player in his own right, and at just 25 years old, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year hasn't even reached the prime of his NFL career.
But he's not Myles Garrett. Nobody is.
The absence of Garrett means that McCarthy will not have to gameplan against the league's best defender and reigning Defensive Player of the Year for two games this season. It could also give the Steelers a better chance to sweep the Browns during the regular season.
It only took four words for McCarthy to express how every Steelers fan was already feeling about the Myles Garrett trade.
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