Think Myles Garrett broke the single-season sack record? One NFL Hall of Famer believes he should be tied with Browns star

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In Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season, Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett made history. After being stymied by the Cincinnati Bengals all game, Garrett blew past the team's offensive line with roughly five minutes to play, finally taking down Joe Burrow in the backfield. In doing so, Garrett picked up his 23rd sack of the season and becoming the sole owner of the single-season sack record ... at least, according to the NFL.

But one NFL Hall of Famer doesn't see it that way. Former Minnesota Vikings star Jared Allen believes his name should sit beside Garrett's in the record books. In the months leading up to Allen's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025, the four-time All-Pro was adamant that the NFL took away his 23rd sack during the 2011 season.

Allen made that argument in a video posted by the Vikings ahead of his Hall of Fame induction in August. At the end of the video, which focused on Allen's 2011 season, Allen claimed he was the true single-season sack leader — at the time, Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt were credited with a tie for the record at 22.5 sacks — and even got a key individual to back him up.

As Allen explained:

"The reality is, I hold the 23-sack record. It's 23. Not T.J. Watt at 22.5 in 17 games and not Michael Strahan. Facts are facts. It's on film. I sacked Aaron Rodgers, they took it from me on Wednesday and called it a team sack.

"But if you go back to that 'Monday Night Football' game, Aaron Rodgers got the ball, went to step up in the pocket, drops the ball, picks it back up, he can still throw the ball. I chase him down, tackle him. Sack. [They] give it to me. That's two sacks for the game.

"Wednesday, they take it back, called it a muff and gave it a team sack. Well, I'm part of the team. I'm the one who physically tackled him so I should at least get half of that, right? But, yeah, if you go back and look, I physically sacked Aaron Rodgers for what would have been my 23rd sack. I had 23 quarterbacks on the ground that year and they took it from me."

After Allen told his story, the video cut to Rodgers, who said he agreed with Allen's assessment.

"You are the all-time single-season sack leader, I don't care what the numbers say," Rodgers said. "Because that phantom, bulls*** sack they took away from you would give you the record. So, in my book, and probably in most Vikings fan's books, you're the all-time single-season sack leader, my friend."

Video of the non-sack — which occurred in Week 10 of the regular season — does add some validity to Allen's argument.

With 9:55 on the clock in the first quarter, Rodgers take a snap in the shotgun, takes a few steps, gets himself set and then tries to scramble outside the pocket thanks to Allen's pressure. As Rodgers makes a move to get outside, he drops the ball.

Rodgers fell to the ground to recover the ball, where Allen then landed on him for the sack.

While Allen was initially credited for the sack, the box score no longer credits any player for the sack on Rodgers after the NFL classified the play as a team sack.

Because of that, Allen finished the year with 22 sacks, which ranks tied for fourth all-time in the NFL record books. Garrett, Watt and Strahan all sit ahead of Allen on the single-season sack list.

Allen, however, isn't the only one who believes he missed out on a record due to the NFL. Watt defenders think the Pittsburgh Steelers' star deserved to finish the 2021 NFL season with a record 23.5 sacks.

Their argument stems from an eerily similar play, in which Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley couldn't handle a poor snap from center Bradley Bozeman. The ball hit the ground before reaching Huntley, who then picked the ball up and attempted to scramble forward to avoid a loss. But as Huntley got up and started moving, he was tackled by Watt in the backfield. Huntley fumbled the ball, leading to a turnover. Thanks to Bozeman's poor snap, however, the play was not ruled a fumble. In the box score, it's classified as an "aborted snap" by Bozeman and a fumble by Huntley.

That play occurred in Week 18, leading some Steelers fans to claim the play was a conspiracy to prevent Watt from setting the record. That wasn't the case with Allen's play, which came in the middle of the season, before breaking the sack record seemed realistic.

Though slightly different, even Strahan's record is subject to controversy, as some believe Packers quarterback Brett Favre intentionally gave himself up to give Strahan the then-record.

How does the NFL define a sack?

In the league's 2025 Guide for Statisticians, the NFL outlines its exact criteria for awarding sacks. In the appropriately titled "Sacks (Defensive)" section, the league covers the exact scenario that took place during Allen's 2011 non-sack of Rodgers.

When the player making an apparent attempt to pass is tackled or downed at or behind the statistical line of scrimmage, credit a sack to the defensive player who tackled or downed the potential passer. If a defender pushes an offensive player into the potential passer, knocking him down, with no subsequent attempt to continue the play, or the contact results in a fumble, credit a sack to the appropriate defensive player.

EXCEPTION: If the potential passer fumbles on his own prior to any such contact, no sack is credited to any individual defensive player, unless he recovers his own fumble and attempts to advance or pass the ball. However, credit the defensive team with a sack. The number of defensive sacks should be equal to the number of offensive sacks.

Since Rodgers was unable to "advance or pass the ball" after he fumbled it, the play was correctly called a team sack. Whether it should be ruled that way is up for debate.

In the Watt example, that rule doesn't apply due to the poor snap. Because of that, the play is considered either an "aborted play" or a rushing play. In Watt's instance, Huntley was treated as a rusher after trying to advance the bad snap.

Myles Garrett stands along as NFL sack leader

By the rules, Garrett stands alone as the league's single-season sack leader. While that title comes with some controversy due to protests by both Allen and Watt's defenders and the fact that it took Garrett 17 games to reach 23 sacks, the record book is ultimately what matters.

Both the Allen and Watt plays make compelling arguments suggesting the NFL should reconsider the way it rules sacks on certain plays, but unless the league re-visits those rules and retroactively puts them in place, both Allen and Watt will have to settle for sitting lower on the all-time list.

That will almost certainly come as a disappointment to Allen, but at least he has an entertaining story to tell.

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