Myles Garrett’s AFC North Exit Celebrated by Player He Has Ugly History With

Teams in the AFC North can breathe easier in the 2026 NFL season, especially opposing quarterbacks of the Cleveland Browns, following the departure of Myles Garrett in the offseason .

Garrett is now in the NFC West after the Browns shockingly traded him to the Los Angeles Rams in June.

For years, Garrett terrorized opposing offenses in the AFC North, including the Pittsburgh Steelers. One player who surely has an ugly memory of Garrett in the division is Steelers backup quarterback Mason Rudolph .

Garrett once hit Rudolph in the head with a helmet during a game between the Browns and the Steelers in 2019, the former Oklahoma State Cowboys star signal-caller's first year in the NFL.

Steelers QB Happy That Myles Garrett is No Longer in the AFC North

During an appearance on Cam Heyward's Not Just Football podcast , the 31-year-old Rudolph was asked if he's glad that Garrett has been traded out of the division.

"As a Pittsburgh Steeler, I'm thrilled that he is no longer in the AFC North," Rudolph responded to Heyward's question.

"I think [coach] Mike McCarthy's fired up about that, I think [offensive coordinator] Brian Angelichio is fired up about that. I know our tackles are fired up about that. . . . And the top of my frontal lobe, yes."

During Garrett's time with Cleveland, he racked up 125.5 sacks in 134 games.

Still, there's a new pass rush star over in Cleveland that Rudolph and the Steelers have to be wary of. While Garrett is gone in the AFC North, the Browns got two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Verse as part of the return from the Rams.