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Michael Strahan Ignites NFL Debate By Placing Asterisk On Myles Garrett’s Sack Record

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Michael Strahan puts asterisk on Myles Garrett sack record

© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / © Katie Stratman-Imagn Images


Myles Garrett broke the NFL single season sack record in Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season. The defensive end notched quarterback takedown No. 23 on the year in a win over the Bengals.

His fourth quarter wrangling of Joe Burrow pushed him past previous record holders Michael Strahan and TJ Watt. Should there be an asterisk?

Garrett entered his final game of the year sitting on 22 sacks. That total was 0.5 sacks behind Strahan’s previous mark, set in 2001 with the New York Giants.

Garrett had been shut out in the department in his Week 17 contest against the Steelers. He was held without a sack for the first 55 minutes of action in the season finale. He finally broke through with five minutes left to play.

Myles Garrett holds the NFL sack record

The defensive end corralled Burrow on a first down pass play to break the mark. He is officially the new sack king in the NFL record books.

Garrett’s season was nothing short of incredible. He registered at least a half-sack in 13 of 17 contests. That included a season-high of four QB harassments in a matchup vs. the Ravens.

The pass rusher lived in the backfield. He totaled 33 tackles for loss in his record-setting campaign.

Michael Strahan was quick to point out one advantage that Myles Garrett had in achieving history. He had an extra game.

“I mean I hold the record for 16-game season, they hold the record for 17-game season,” he said jokingly while celebrating the accomplishment.

The NFL moved to a 17-game schedule in 2021. Despite that fact, Strahan’s ’01 season mirrored Garrett’s in many ways. He, too, registered sacks in 13 games with a season-high of four in a loss to the Rams.

Similarly, he also caught backlash for the way in which his final takedown was recorded.

Brett Favre laid down to award Strahan his final sack with under three minutes remaining in a game that was all but over.

Regardless of how that final tackle was recorded, he was the record holder. That torch has now been passed to Myles Garrett.

Should there be an asterisk?

It’s a debate mentioned any time a record is broken. Times change in the world of sports. Some are able to benefit on new rules and regulations.

Take Caitlin Clark, for example, who was crowned the NCAA scoring leader across both men’s and women’s basketball. She surpassed “Pistol Pete” Maravich in that pursuit.

Maravich set his mark before the introduction of the shot clock and three-point shot. He was also barred from competing at the varsity level as a freshman due to NCAA rule.

Maravich’s son, Jaeson, called the comparisons “apples to oranges.” Context matters.

Numbers do, too.

Breaking down Myles Garrett’s case.

Mark Gastineau tallied 22 sacks in 16 games with the Jets in 1984. Al Baker racked up 23 sacks with the Lions in 1978 before sacks were officially recorded as stats in 1982.

The true sack king may be Reggie White, who notched 21 QB takedowns across 12 games in a shortened 1987 campaign.

It is difficult to compare across eras. The game changes. In the debate of Michael Strahan and Myles Garrett, though, number tell an interesting story.

Strahan’s opponents threw the ball far more than Garrett’s. He had more than 100 extra pass rushing opportunities despite playing in one fewer game.

In fact, Garrett’s sack-to-attempt ratio ranks fifth amongst 20-sack seasons all-time. Those include campaigns that were recorded before 1982.

Strahan ranks a spot behind in a three-way tie with TJ Watt and Chris Doleman.

When looking at numbers alone, Myles Garrett’s NFL sack record does not deserve an asterisk, at least not from Michael Strahan. Others in the league’s history might have a legitimate beef, but it won’t change the defender’s current status as single season sack leader.