The Eight Seasons Myles Garrett Carried A City, And Why Trading Him Is Still The Right Call, Says Joe Thomas

Okay, Seattle, we gotta talk about something that shook the league, even if it wasn't *our* guys. That blockbuster deal sending Myles Garrett to the Rams earlier this month? It felt like a gut punch for a whole city, right? Well, our man Joe Thomas, who played alongside Garrett in his rookie year back in 2017, just broke it all down. And what he told SiriusXM NFL Radio? It’s a harsh truth about these massive, team-defining moves that we, as fans, need to hear.

Eight Years of Carrying a Franchise on His Back

Think about it: after Thomas hung up his cleats, Myles Garrett took over as Cleveland’s undisputed best player for the next *eight* years. That's an eternity in the NFL! For multiple seasons, especially when the team was totally out of the playoff hunt, Garrett was the *only* thing Cleveland fans had to cheer for, the bright spot in a struggling franchise. Thomas remembered it, saying, "for several of those seasons that Myles was here in Cleveland, he was the one thing we got to cheer for." He was chasing that sack record, and he got it, showing insane commitment to his team. That’s a legacy, man. He carried a heavy mantle, and he did it.

The Hard Truth: When a 'Valuable Asset' Has to Move On

But even with that history, that deep emotional bond, when the news broke earlier this month that the Browns traded him to the R

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ams in a blockbuster deal, it probably caught a lot of people by surprise. You see a guy like that, you think he’s there for life! Joe Thomas, though, saw it coming. He "knew there was always going to be a chance" the Browns would trade Myles. Why? Because, as Thomas put it, "just knowing the situation they’re in and the valuable asset they had." Garrett was an incredible player with immense trade value, and sometimes, to build a complete team, you have to make those gut-wrenching, brutal decisions. For Cleveland fans, Thomas admits, "it’s tough, right?" You lose that one guy who embodies everything good about your squad. But he understood it. They got Jared Verse, a calculated move, weighing emotional attachment against strategic gain. It's a tough pill for any fanbase when your cornerstone gets moved, even if it’s the "right decision." It forces you to think about how we, as the 12s, value our own guys, balancing loyalty with what’s truly best for the long haul. You see Jaxon Smith-Njigba making big plays for our Seahawks, or Julio Rodriguez absolutely crushing it for the Mariners, and you know how much they mean to the Emerald City. They're part of our identity! As our Seahawks, under Coach Macdonald, get deeper into this NFL season, every player's performance, every strategic move, matters. And at T-Mobile Park, our Mariners keep grinding. We’ll be watching every snap, every pitch, knowing the stakes are always high. Keep that 12th Man energy up, Seattle!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.