Pittsburgh Steelers star TJ Watt was not too happy about losing Defensive Player of the Year to Cleveland Browns pass-rusher Myles Garrett.
Garrett hauled in his first DPOY honor on Thursday night, edging Watt 165-140 in the voting. The powerful Browns star received 23 of 50 first-place votes to Watt’s 19.
Watt was not in attendance but delivered a strong message on social media after the award was announced.
Nothing I’m not used to,” Watt said.
Watt won the award in 2021 and has been a finalist multiple times. He had a case for his second honor. Watt had an NFL-best 19 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and an interception.
While Watt didn’t agree, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons — another finalist — backed Garrett for the award. Parsons responded to a tweet that called the voting a “rig job.”
“Horrible take!! Myles was the better player!” Parsons tweeted. “Reality of the situation! Myles faced way more double teams and [effect] on QBs! Fans please stop looking at stats and look at film please!”
Garrett made his presence consistently felt this season, despite playing through a shoulder injury during the back half of the season. He finished with 30 quarterback hits, 14 sacks, and 17 tackles for loss.
While accepting his award, Garrett promised something “bigger” next season, hinting that his goal is the Super Bowl.
“To the city of Cleveland, this one’s for you,” Garrett said. “We’re going to be bringing home something bigger next time.”
The Browns leaders gushed about Garrett after he was named the winner. Browns general manager Andrew Berry expects more hardware on Garrett’s mantle by the time he calls it a career.
