All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett’s offseason decision to remain in Cleveland could prove dangerous for new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
With the Super Bowl winner finally joining the Browns’ AFC North rivals after weeks of speculation, Garrett was asked for his reaction to the Rodgers signing.
‘Good opportunity to put him in the graveyard,’ Garrett said at Browns minicamp.
Garrett may not have been referencing a real graveyard, but the Halloween display he constructed in front of his Ohio mansion in 2021. The farcical scene included the tombstones of quarterbacks Garrett has sacked, such as Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, and remains a favorite discussion topic among Browns fans.
Of course, if you didn’t know about Garrett’s graveyard, his comment about Rodgers could come across rather dark, like the ‘hit list’ Packers defensive lineman Charles Martin wore on towel during a 1986 game against the Bears.
That infamous game ended with Martin slamming Bears QB Jim McMahon to the turn, injuring his shoulder and sidelining him for the rest of the season.
Myles Garrett on Aaron Rodgers joining the AFC North: “I think it’s a good opportunity to put him in the graveyard.” pic.twitter.com/BWzBQmdIZz
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) June 10, 2025
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) talks to the media during minicamp
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks on during his first minicamp practice
In 2021, Garrett made a Halloween display involving tombstones of various quarterbacks
But while Martin’s hit list went down as a rather disturbing moment for the NFL, Garrett’s comment about Rodgers was met with laughter from reporters gathered in Berea, Ohio on Tuesday.
Fans, on the other hand, took a dimmer view of Garrett’s comment and condemned the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
‘I’m all for sacks and TFLs, but on-field murder is probably a bridge too far, even for the NFL,’ one fan remarked on X.
‘We know how he gets with Steelers [quarterbacks],’ another remarked, referring to Garrett’s 2019 brawl with Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph.
Garrett later claimed Rudolph directed a racial slur at him, which the quarterback denied. In the end, Garrett was suspended for the remainder of the 2019 season.
He recently divided Browns fans by missing voluntary May practices while he was on a whirlwind tour of Japan with his rumored girlfriend, Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim.
‘Tryna buy a place her [as soon as possible],’ Garrett wrote on social media alongside a pH๏τo of himself shopping on the streets of Tokyo. ‘[Hit me up] if you know someone.’
Garrett’s comment came off a bit like Charles Martin’s infamous hit list from 1986, when the Packers star injured Bears QB Jim McMahon. The hit list can be seen on Martin’s towel
Known as organized team activities (OTAs), the spring practices are not mandatory. They were, however, attended by all healthy Browns players outside of veterans Garrett, Diontae Johnson, Greg Newsome II and David Njoku.
But while coach Kevin Stefanski stressed to reporters that it’s ‘their prerogative,’ Garrett’s absence came weeks after the All-Pro defensive end signed a four-year extension worth $160 million, including $123.5 million in guarantees. And that factor divided fans.
‘Myles Garrett is annoying,’ one critic wrote on X before referencing the 29-year-old’s withdrawn off-season trade demand. ‘Should’ve traded him.’
‘Leaders show up,’ another added.
NFL Player Myles Garrett and Snowboarder Chloe Kim attend the pH๏τocall for Crunchyroll Amine Awards 2025 Red Carpet at Grand Prince H๏τel Takanawa on May 25
Some wondered if Garrett is really in Japan – an understandable question given the English-language signs in the background – but Daily Mail has verified those stores are in Tokyo
Many more defended Garrett, who has been the most consistent presence in the Browns’ locker room over the last eight seasons while being named to six Pro Bowl teams and earning AP Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2023.
‘The real question is why aren’t OTAs in Japan with Myles Garrett?!?!?’ one fan joked on X.
‘Bro is the best [defensive end] in the league he doesn’t need to be there,’ another added.
Most commenters focused on one key word: voluntary.
‘Who cares?’ a Garrett defender asked. ‘They are voluntary.’
Garrett rescinded his trade offer prior to signing his contract extension in Cleveland, which further bolstered its defensive line by drafting former Michigan star Mason Graham with the fifth pick in last month’s NFL Draft.
Since then, Garrett had been rather quiet this offseason until last week, when he joined Kim, the Olympic gold medalist and American snowboarding icon, on the red carpet of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in Tokyo. Garrett had not been linked with anyone in his personal life before appearing at the anime award show with Kim.
