Pre-draft On December 31, 2016, Garrett announced his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2017 NFL draft. He was projected to be a top ten selection and was ranked No. 1 on ESPN analyst
Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board. Garrett attended the
NFL Scouting Combine in
Indianapolis and completed the majority of combine drills, but opted to skip the three-cone drill and short shuttle. Garrett solidified his position as a top ten pick with an impressive combine performance. His 41” vertical jump was the top performance of all defensive linemen and he also finished with the second best performance in the bench press and broad jump. Garrett also had the third fastest 40-yard dash of all defensive linemen at the combine, which highly impressed scouts due to his size. On March 30, 2017, Garrett attended Texas A&M's
Pro Day and chose to perform the 40-yard dash (4.65s), 20-yard dash (2.71), 10-yard dash (1.57s), and broad jump (10’6”). At the conclusion of pre-draft process, Garrett was projected by NFL draft analyst and scouts to be the first overall player selected. He was ranked the top overall prospect and defensive end by
Sports Illustrated,
ESPN,
Pro Football Focus, and DraftScout.com. Garrett was also ranked the top edge rusher in the draft by NFL analyst
Mike Mayock.
2017 The
Cleveland Browns selected Garrett with the first overall pick of the
2017 NFL draft. Garrett became the highest draft pick from Texas A&M in the history of the NFL draft. On May 19, 2017, the Browns signed Garrett to a fully guaranteed four-year, $30.41 million contract that features a $20.25 million signing bonus, offset language options, and a team option for a fifth year. Garrett entered
training camp slated as a starting defensive end. Head coach
Hue Jackson named Garrett and
Emmanuel Ogbah the starting
defensive ends to begin the regular season. They started the season alongside defensive tackles
Trevon Coley and
Jamie Meder. On September 7, Garrett suffered a high
ankle sprain during practice, causing him to miss the start of the season. After missing the first four games, Garrett played his first regular season game on October 8 against the
New York Jets, and sacked
Josh McCown twice, including once on his first ever NFL play. The Browns lost to the Jets 17–14. Despite having four sacks in his first three games, Garrett's injury woes continued as he suffered a concussion during Week 8 against the
Tennessee Titans. Because he was on concussion protocol, he could not travel to
London for the next game. Overall, Garrett recorded 31 combined tackles (19 solo), seven sacks, a forced fumble, a pass defensed, and a fumble recovery during his rookie season. Due to injury, Garrett only played 11 of 16 games, but still finished first on the team in sacks. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
2018 Garrett was named a defensive captain for the 2018 season. In the season-opener against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Garrett sacked
Ben Roethlisberger twice and forced two fumbles, both of which were recovered by the Browns, during the 21–21 tie game. Two weeks later against the Jets, Garrett sacked rookie quarterback
Sam Darnold twice during the 21–17 win. During Week 7 against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Garrett sacked
Jameis Winston twice in the 26–23 overtime road loss. In the 2018 season, Garrett started all 16 games and recorded 13.5 sacks, 44 combined tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss, 29 quarterback hits, three passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. His 13.5 sacks ranked sixth in the NFL that year. He was ranked 49th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2019. He was named to his first Pro Bowl for his efforts in the 2018 season.
2019 During the season opener against the Titans, Garrett sacked
Marcus Mariota twice in the 43–13 loss. In the next game against the Jets, Garrett finished with three sacks but also committed two roughing the passer penalties as the Browns won 23–3. On September 28, Garrett was fined a combined $52,639 for three fouls, a face mask hit on
Delanie Walker as well as the two roughing the passer fouls on
Trevor Siemian, the second of which resulted in Siemian injuring his ankle and putting him on injured reserve. During Week 6 against the
Seattle Seahawks, Garrett sacked
Russell Wilson twice in the 32–28 loss.
Brawl with Mason Rudolph (left) reacts after being hit by Garrett During Week 11 against the Steelers, with eight seconds left in regulation, Garrett pulled Steelers quarterback
Mason Rudolph to the ground following a
late hit. Upset by the late hit, Rudolph attacked Garrett, kicking him in the groin and attempting to pull off Garrett's helmet. After getting back up, Garrett forcibly removed Rudolph's helmet as Steelers offensive linemen
Maurkice Pouncey and
David DeCastro tried to hold him back. Garrett then swung Rudolph's helmet at him, striking him in the head with the bottom of the helmet. A fight ensued that resulted in Garrett, Pouncey, and Browns defensive tackle
Larry Ogunjobi being
ejected; Pouncey punched and kicked Garrett's head several times after the strike, while Ogunjobi pushed a helmetless Rudolph to the ground as he stood watching the fight. Garrett's actions were questioned by his head coach and quarterback in interviews conducted immediately after the game. Browns quarterback
Baker Mayfield called Garrett's action "inexcusable," while Browns head coach
Freddie Kitchens expressed embarrassment. Garrett later apologized for his actions, which he described as "foolish" and "out of character," while at the same time thanking the players who had backed him up. The next day, the NFL suspended Garrett indefinitely, and at a minimum for the remainder of the 2019 season. He was also fined $45,623 while Rudolph was fined $50,000. Another 33 players were fined $3,000 for entering a fight zone, and the Browns and Steelers organizations were fined $250,000 each. Garrett appealed the suspension and lost, sitting out the remainder of the season. It was the second-longest suspension for on-field misconduct in NFL history and the longest for a single incident. (
Oakland Raiders linebacker
Vontaze Burfict was suspended for 12 games in 2019 due to a history of violations of player safety rules.) ESPN reported that in his appeal hearing Garrett had told NFL officials the incident was fueled by Rudolph's alleged use of a racial slur. In a statement, Garrett said he had not intended for his remarks to become public and that hearing the alleged slur was no excuse for his actions. Rudolph vehemently denied the accusation. Garrett met with officials from Commissioner
Roger Goodell's office on February 10, 2020, and was reinstated for the 2020 season. After being reinstated, Garrett reiterated his claim, Garrett asked the NFL to check their on-field audio; league spokesman Brian McCarthy said there were no recordings, and therefore they "found no such evidence" to support Garrett's claim.
2020 Garrett was reinstated from suspension on February 12, 2020. On April 27, the Browns exercised the fifth-year option on his contract. Garrett signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension with the team on July 15. During Week 2 against the
Cincinnati Bengals, Garrett recorded a strip sack on rookie quarterback
Joe Burrow which was recovered by the Browns during the 35–30 win. In Week 3 against the
Washington Football Team, Garrett sacked
Dwayne Haskins twice, including a strip sack that was recovered by himself during the 34–20 win. In a Week 4 game against the
Dallas Cowboys, Garrett sacked
Dak Prescott twice, one of which was a strip sack that resulted in a turnover, during the 49–38 road victory. His performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Garrett sacked Joe Burrow two more times and forced a fumble that was recovered by the Browns during the 37–34 win. As the month closed, Garrett won AFC Defensive Player of the Month for October after compiling six sacks, 14 tackles, four for a loss, and two forced fumbles. On November 20, 2020, Garrett was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 list missing the Browns Week 11 game against the
Philadelphia Eagles. He was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on December 1. Garrett was named to the Pro Bowl. Garrett was selected for the
2020 All-Pro Team, along with three of his teammates: tackle
Jack Conklin and guards
Joel Bitonio and
Wyatt Teller. He was ranked 16th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
2021 In Week 3 against the Bears, Garrett recorded 4.5 sacks against Bears rookie quarterback
Justin Fields. He broke the franchise record for most sacks in a single game, previously held by
Andra Davis. The Browns would go on to win 26–6. His performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In a Week 12 game against the
Baltimore Ravens, Garrett sacked
Lamar Jackson for his 14th sack of the season. That tied
Reggie Camp for the most sacks in a season by a Cleveland Brown. In a Week 14 game against the Baltimore Ravens, Garrett strip sacked
Tyler Huntley, recovered the fumbled ball and returned it for his first NFL touchdown. This was his 15th sack of the season, setting a Browns record for most sacks in a single season. This record was broken in the first 13 games of a 17-game regular season. During Week 14, Garrett became the first Browns player to receive a 99 rating in the
Madden NFL video game, specifically in
Madden NFL 22. Garrett had an extremely productive season, posting 16 sacks and 51 combined tackles, both career highs. He was named a starter in the
2022 Pro Bowl, as well as earning a first-team selection on the
2021 All-Pro Team. He was ranked 11th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
2022 In the 2022 season, Garrett finished with 16 sacks, 60 total tackles (37 solo), four passes defended, and two forced fumbles. He was named as a Pro Bowler for his efforts in the 2022 season. Garrett finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He was ranked 20th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.
2023 During Week 7, Garrett recorded nine tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a blocked field goal in a narrow 39–38 victory over the Colts, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. All totaled, he finished the regular season with 14 sacks, earning his fifth Pro Bowl and third first-team All-Pro selections. At the 13th Annual NFL Honors, Garrett was named
Defensive Player of the Year. He earned this award for the first time after leading the NFL's best defensive team and forcing a career-high four fumbles. Garrett was ranked fifth by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.
2024 During Week 9 against the Chargers, Garrett had three sacks in the loss. Three weeks later, he recorded three sacks, a forced fumble, and five tackles in a 24–19 victory over the Steelers, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Garrett finished the 2024 season with 14 sacks, 47 tackles, a pass defended, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He led the NFL in tackles-for-loss with 22. Garrett earned his sixth Pro Bowl nomination and fourth first team All-Pro nomination. He was ranked eighth by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2025.
2025 After Cleveland finished with a 3–14 record in 2024, Garrett requested a trade on February 3, 2025, citing a "desire to win." After the Browns' front office expressed their unwillingness to trade Garrett, they eventually agreed on a four-year, $160 million extension on March 9, with $123.5 million guaranteed and an average salary of $40 million per year. The extension also included a no-trade clause, keeping him with the Browns through the 2030 NFL season. During Week 8 against the
New England Patriots, Garrett set a new franchise record by recording five sacks in a single game, but the Browns would go on to lose 32–13. During a Week 12 game against the
Las Vegas Raiders, Garrett had three sacks, bringing his season total to 18 and breaking his own franchise record for single-season sacks in the process. For his game against the Raiders, he earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for November. In the final week of the season against the Bengals, Garrett recorded his 23rd sack of the season to break the single-season sack record of 22.5 set by
Michael Strahan and
T. J. Watt after sacking quarterback
Joe Burrow. His 33 tackles for loss were the second most in NFL history since the statistic became official. Garrett was named first team All-Pro for the fifth time and earned a seventh career Pro Bowl nomination. Garrett unanimously won Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025 season. ==Career statistics==