Myles Garrett Is Already a Hall of Fame Lock—Here’s Why
- Football Nation
- Aug 7
- 4 min read
CBS Sports placed Myles Garrett among the active NFL players it considers certain future Hall of Famers on Friday, August 7. The timing fits the moment: the Class of 2026 will be enshrined Saturday, while Garrett begins his first Los Angeles Rams season with the league’s single-season sack record and two Defensive Player of the Year awards already on his résumé.
Football Nation’s analysis is straightforward: Garrett is already a Hall of Fame lock. A championship in Los Angeles could strengthen his first-ballot argument, but it should not be treated as a missing requirement. The individual standard has already been met.
Why the Hall of Fame question is current
CBS Sports’ August 7 Hall of Fame analysis included Garrett in a group of active players whose cases no longer depend on future production. That national discussion arrives one day before the 2026 enshrinement ceremony and two months after Los Angeles made one of the offseason’s biggest trades.
The Rams announced on June 1 that they acquired Garrett from Cleveland for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick. That price explains how Los Angeles views him now: not as an aging name, but as a centerpiece capable of changing a championship defense.
The move also makes the Hall question more visible. Garrett is leaving the only franchise he had played for and joining a team built for January. His Cleveland years created the résumé. His Rams years will shape how quickly voters place him among the position’s inner circle.
The résumé has already cleared the line
The Rams’ official trade announcement lists 125.5 sacks through nine seasons, five first-team All-Pro selections, seven Pro Bowls and two Defensive Player of the Year awards. Garrett has recorded double-digit sacks in eight consecutive seasons, every year since his rookie campaign.
NFL.com’s official career statistics confirm the production curve: 14 sacks in 2023, 14 in 2024 and a record 23 in 2025. This is not a Hall case built on one extraordinary peak surrounded by ordinary seasons. It combines an historic peak with sustained elite output.
NFL.com reported that Garrett won the 2025 AP Defensive Player of the Year award unanimously, receiving all 50 first-place votes. He became the ninth player to win the award more than once, joining a group that includes Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Ray Lewis and other defining defenders.
That peer group is the strongest part of the argument. Sacks can be influenced by scheme, game state and surrounding talent. Awards can reflect a single season. Garrett has both the cumulative production and repeated recognition from voters, coaches and peers. The overlap removes most of the uncertainty.
What a Rams championship would change
A Super Bowl would not make Garrett worthy; it would make his story cleaner. Edge rushers do not control championships the way quarterbacks do, and Garrett produced at a historic level for Cleveland even when the Browns were not consistent contenders. Penalizing him for team results would ignore the position he plays.
The Rams’ newcomer profile notes that Garrett generated 23 sacks despite facing a league-high 139 chip blocks in 2025. Los Angeles now expects its offense and upgraded secondary to create more favorable pass-rush situations. If Garrett converts those opportunities in a playoff run, voters may remember the Rams chapter as confirmation rather than completion.
The trade itself already connects to two Football Nation stories. The club’s Aaron Donald training-camp report explains the reunion possibility around the franchise’s previous defensive standard, while the Jared Verse Top 100 analysis examines the younger star Cleveland received in the deal. Garrett sits at the center of both roster timelines.
The only uncertainty is timing
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s official selection process requires a player to have last played at least five seasons before he can be considered. Garrett is active, so there is no ballot yet and no formal guarantee. “Lock” is an analytical judgment, not an election result.
When eligibility comes, the debate will be less about whether Garrett belongs and more about whether he should enter on the first ballot. His current résumé compares favorably with the historical standard: multiple top defensive awards, an official league record, five first-team All-Pro selections and more than 125 sacks before his 10th season.
Saturday’s ceremony also supplies useful context. Football Nation’s guide to the 2026 Hall of Fame ceremony covers the five incoming enshrinees, and its Canton history explainer shows why the institution carries so much weight. Garrett is not eligible to join them yet. On merit, he has already done enough.
Football Nation takeaway
Myles Garrett’s move to the Rams changes his championship opportunity, not his Hall of Fame qualification. The 2025 sack record and unanimous award pushed an already elite career past the point where one more season, one more contract or one ring should decide the outcome.
What happens in Los Angeles can elevate him from certain Hall of Famer to first-ballot centerpiece. That is a meaningful distinction. The larger verdict, however, should be settled: Garrett has already built a Canton résumé.
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