Myles Garrett Views Cleveland As Home Beyond Playing Days

After purchasing a minority stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers, Myles Garrett hopes to build roots in Northeast Ohio

Leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft, Myles Garrett was not shy about his desire to play for the Dallas Cowboys, even begging Jerry Jones, in a video he's since apologized for, to trade up and draft him. Seven years later, Garrett is making moves to call Cleveland home well beyond his playing days.

The Browns star pass rusher made headlines this week when it was announced that he'd purchased a minority stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers. Garrett has always had a penchant for basketball, but now he's  invested in the sport.

Funny how things workout sometimes. The city Garrett seemed to want no part of as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed draftee is now a place he has planted long-term roots.

"I'm not gonna sell my house and pack up and leave," Garrett said of Cleveland. "I definitely plan to be here for a long time. I'll start a family here. I'm not just gonna rip and run once things are over and I hang up the cleats. I'm gonna be here supporting the Cavs, supporting the Browns for a mighty long time."

Consider Garrett cemented as the latest athlete who "gets" Northeast Ohio – a trait that will surely make him universally adored by the Cleveland faithful.

Even though that was largely already the case, there was some chatter about Garrett's future here in Cleveland this offseason, following another disappointing campaign in 2022 that saw the Browns finish dead last in the division at 7-9. Having an ownership stake in a local team doesn't guarantee anything in the way of a commitment from Garrett beyond the expiration of his current contract in 2026. Nor does it guarantee the Browns will invest in him as football takes it's toll on his body. Football - at the end of the day – is a business. 

Still, there's bound to be comfort knowing one of the greatest players in franchise history is laying a foundation that will outlast his football career.

"Basketball is still one of the things I will always enjoy," Garrett explained. "One of the ways I connect with my family, especially the men in my family. And I want to plant deep roots in this city and make this a community and that I'm always a part of."

In the ilk of other Cleveland greats like LeBron James and Joe Thomas, Garrett is well on his way toward doing that with this recent move, on top of other community work he's involved with.

And like those legends, Notheast Ohio will always be home for Garrett.