With bigger money comes increased expectations.

Myles Garrett | Dylan Buell/GettyImages

It was a long, drawn-out saga between Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns this offseason. Fortunately for everyone associated with the franchise, it eventually reached a successful outcome.

But make no mistake, the Browns have made their expectations clear after handing Garrett the richest non-quarterback contract in NFL history.

Garrett’s disillusion reached breaking point after another campaign that promised much delivered almost nothing in 2024. The All-Pro defensive end handed in a trade request and seemed pretty dug in about wanting to take his chances elsewhere. The Browns had no intention of granting his wish, refusing to entertain offers for one of the league’s most prolific players regardless of position.

In the end, money talked the loudest. Garrett’s whopping new extension brought him around. But with more money comes extra responsibilities. Browns owner Jim Haslam made that abundantly clear.

Jim Haslam challenges Myles Garrett after massive contract extension

Haslam revealed at the annual league meetings that he’s challenged Garrett to be a better leader for this struggling organization. He wants the former No. 1 pick to do this through leading by example and emerging as a role model others can follow accordingly. This was met with a positive response from the player, who is keen to step up and take the mantle.

“What we’ve challenged Myles on is, by his practice habits, by his actions, etc., to become a real leader of the team. And he has said he’d do that and we’re hopeful that he will be.”

Jim Haslam via Cleveland.com

Most people on the outside looking in naturally assumed that Garrett was doing all this previously. But apparently, that wasn’t the case.

Garrett’s on-field dominance speaks for itself. He’s one of the very few defensive players around the league who can take over any game when firing on all cylinders. The Browns might not have done much last season, but the Texas A&M graduate remains confident things can turn around quickly if they find the right quarterback this offseason.

There’s growing speculation around the Browns making a trade for Kirk Cousins. This is easily their best potential option right now, especially if there’s trepidation around Colorado prospect Shedeur Sanders’ long-term promise in the pros.

Acquiring a dependable veteran like this also proves to Garrett that they are serious about improving quickly rather than rebuilding, which is what he wanted all along. What’s important for the defensive end is keeping up his elite production and setting the right standards at all times. Being a distraction is no longer an option.

Garrett is experienced and professional enough to meet these targets and more. If everyone else responds positively, it won’t take longer for improvements to arrive.

Whether it’ll be enough to stake a claim within the highly competitive AFC North is another matter.