History of the Cleveland Browns

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The history of the Cleveland Browns

McBride and his partners sold the team to a group of Cleveland businessmen in 1953 for a then-unheard-of $600,000. Eight years later, the team was sold again, this time to a group led by New York advertising executive Art Modell. Modell fired Brown before the 1963 season, but the team continued to win behind running back Jim Brown. The Browns won the championship in 1964 and reached the title game the following season, losing to the Green Bay Packers. The team subsequently reached the playoffs three times in the late 1980s, but fell short of playing in the Super Bowl, the inter-league championship game between the NFL and the rival American Football League (AFL) that started in 1966.

When the AFL and NFL

The Browns are only one of 12 NFL franchises to predate the 1960 launch of the American Football League, and are only one of three such teams in the AFC.

Founding and dominance in the AAFC (1946–1949)

In 1944

The name of the team was at first left up to Brown, who rejected calls for it to be christened the Browns.[12] McBride then held a contest to name the team in May 1945; "Cleveland Panthers" was the most popular choice, but Brown rejected it because it was the name of an earlier failed football team. "That old Panthers team failed", Brown said. "I want no part of that name."^[13] In August, McBride gave in to popular demand and named the team the Browns, despite Paul Brown's objections.^[14]

For several years, Brown would occasionally cite an alternate history of the team name. He claimed that the second name-the-team contest yielded the name "Brown Bombers," after then-world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, whose nickname was "The Brown Bomber." According to this version, Brown wanted his team to have a nickname befitting a champion, and felt the nickname "Brown Bombers" was apropos. The name was reportedly shortened to simply "Browns." This alternate history of the name was even supported by the team as being factual as recently as the mid-1990s,^[15] and it continues as an urban legend. However, Paul Brown never held fast to the Joe Louis story, and later in his life admitted that it was invented in part because of his wariness of having the team being named after him. The Browns and the NFL now both support the position that the team was indeed named after Paul Brown.^[16][17]

As the war began to wind down with

Cleveland's first regular-season game took place September 6, 1946, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium against the Miami Seahawks before a then-record crowd of 60,135.^[23] That contest, which the Browns won 44–0, kicked off an era of dominance. With Brown at the helm, the team won all four of the AAFC's championships from 1946 until its dissolution in 1949, amassing a record of 52 wins, four losses and three ties.^[24] This included the 1948 season, in which the Browns became the first unbeaten and untied team in professional football history.^[25] The Browns had few worthy rivals among the AAFC's eight teams, but the New York Yankees and San Francisco 49ers were their closest competition.^[26]

While the Browns excelled on defense, Cleveland's winning ways were driven by an offense that employed Brown's version of the T formation, which emphasized speed, timing and execution over set plays.^[26] Brown liked his players "lean and hungry", and championed quickness over bulk.^[2] Graham became a star under Brown's system, leading all passers in each of the AAFC's seasons and racking up 10,085 passing yards.^[27] Motley, who Brown in 1948 called "the greatest fullback that ever lived",^[28] was the AAFC's all-time leading rusher.^[29] Brown and six players from the Browns' AAFC years were later elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Graham, Motley, Groza, Lavelli, Willis and Gatski.^[30]

The Cleveland area showered support on the Browns from the outset.^[31] Meanwhile, the Browns unexpectedly had Cleveland to themselves; the NFL's Cleveland Rams, who had continually lost money despite winning the 1945 NFL championship, moved to Los Angeles after that season.^[32] The Browns' on-field feats only amplified their popularity, and the team saw average attendance of 57,000 per game in its first season.^[33] The Browns, however, became victims of their own success. Cleveland's dominance exposed a lack of balance among AAFC teams, which the league tried to correct by sending Browns players including quarterback Y. A. Tittle to the Baltimore Colts in 1948.^[34] Attendance at Browns games fell in later years as fans lost interest in lopsided victories, while attendance for less successful teams fell even more precipitously.^[35] The Browns led all of football during the undefeated season in 1948 with an average crowd of 45,517, but that was more than 10,000 less than the average per game the previous year.^[36] These factors – combined with a war for players between the two leagues that raised salaries and ate into owners' profits – ultimately led to the dissolution of the AAFC and the merger of three of its teams, including the Browns, into the NFL in 1949.^[24] The NFL does not acknowledge AAFC statistics and records because these achievements – including the Browns' perfect season – did not take place in the NFL or against NFL teams, and not in a league fully absorbed by the NFL.^[37]

Success and challenges in the NFL (1950–1956)

The AAFC proposed match-ups with NFL teams numerous times during its four-year existence, but no inter-league game ever materialized.^[38] That made Cleveland's entry into the NFL in the 1950 season the first test of whether its early supremacy could continue into a more established league.^[39] The proof came quickly: Cleveland's NFL regular-season opener was against the two-time defending champion Philadelphia Eagles on September 16 in Philadelphia.^[40] The Browns lit up the Eagles' vaunted defense for 487 total yards—including 246 passing yards from Graham and his receivers—in a 35–10 win before a crowd of 71,237. This decisive win quashed any doubts about the Browns' prowess.^[41] Behind an offense that featured Graham, Groza, Motley, Lavelli and running back Dub Jones, Cleveland finished the 1950 season with a 10–2 record, tied for first place in the Eastern Conference.^[42] After winning a playoff game against the New York Giants, the Browns advanced to the NFL championship match against the Los Angeles Rams in Cleveland. The Browns won 30–28 on a last-minute Groza field goal.^[43] Fans stormed the field after the victory, carting off the goalposts, ripping off one player's jersey and setting a bonfire in the bleachers.^[44] "It was the greatest game I ever saw", Brown later said.^[45]

After five straight championship wins in the AAFC and NFL, the Browns appeared poised to bring another trophy home in 1951. The team finished the regular season with 11 wins and a single loss in the first game of the season.

The 1952 and 1953 seasons followed a similar pattern: Cleveland reached the championship game but lost both times to the Detroit Lions.^[50] In 1952's championship game, Detroit won 17–7 after a muffed punt by the Browns, several Lions defensive stands and a 67-yard touchdown run by Doak Walker scuttled Cleveland's chances.^[51] The team finished 11–1 in 1953, but lost the championship to the Lions 17–16 on a 33-yard Bobby Layne touchdown pass to Jim Doran with just over two minutes left.^[52] While the championship losses disappointed Cleveland fans who had grown accustomed to winning, the team continued to make progress. Len Ford, who the Browns picked up from the defunct AAFC's Los Angeles Dons team, emerged as a force on the defensive line, making the Pro Bowl each year between 1951 and 1953.^[53] Second-year wideout Ray Renfro became a star in 1953, also reaching the Pro Bowl.^[54]

During the summer before the 1953 season, the Browns' original owners sold the team for a then-unheard-of $600,000.

Cleveland's success continued in 1955 after Brown convinced Graham to come back, arguing that the team lacked a solid alternative.[63] Cleveland finished the regular season 9–2–1 and went on to win its third NFL championship, beating the Los Angeles Rams 38–14.^[64] It was Graham's last game; the win capped a 10-year run in which he led his team to the league championship every year, winning four in the AAFC and three in the NFL.^[65] Rams fans gave Graham a standing ovation when Brown pulled him from the game in the final minutes.^[66]

Without Graham, the Browns floundered in 1956.

With Otto Graham and most of the other original Browns in retirement, by 1957 the team was struggling to replenish its ranks.

Before the 1958 season, O'Connell, who lacked the stature and durability Paul Brown wanted in a starter, retired to take a coaching job in Illinois, and Milt Plum was named as his replacement.^[77][78] Cleveland, however, was relying increasingly on the running game, in contrast to its pass-happy early years under Graham. As the team built up a 9–3 regular-season record, Brown in 1958 ran for 1,527 yards – almost twice as much as any other back and a league record at the time.^[79]

Entering the final game of the 1958 season, Cleveland needed to either win or tie against the New York Giants to clinch the Eastern Conference title and the right to host the championship game.^[80] Cleveland lost that game under snowy conditions on a 49-yard field goal by Pat Summerall as time expired, and then lost a playoff game against the Giants the following week to end the season.^[81][82] The Giants went on to play the Baltimore Colts in the championship, a game often cited as the seed of professional football's popularity surge in the U.S.^[83]

Cleveland's campaigns in 1959 and 1960 were unremarkable, aside from Brown's league-leading rushing totals in both seasons.^[84] Plum, meanwhile, became the established starting quarterback, bringing a measure of stability to the squad not seen since Graham's retirement. He led the team to a 7–5 record in 1959 and an 8–3–1 record in 1960, but neither was good enough to win the Eastern Conference and advance to the championship.^[85][86] Behind the scenes, however, all was not well. A conflict took shape between Paul Brown and Jim Brown; emboldened by his success, the fullback began to question his coach's disciplinarian methods. He called the coach "Little Caesar" behind his back. At halftime during a game in 1959, Paul Brown questioned the severity of an injury Jim Brown was sidelined for, which further inflamed tensions between the two.^[87]

Art Modell takes ownership

The 1961 season was typical on the field: Jim Brown led the league in rushing for the fifth straight season and the team ended with an 8–5–1 record. That left Cleveland two games out of a berth in the championship.[93] During that year, however, players began to question Paul Brown's strict and often overbearing demeanor, while many challenged his control over the team's strategy. Milt Plum spoke out against Brown calling all the team's offensive plays, and Jim Brown said on a weekly radio broadcast that the coach's play-calling and handling of Plum were undermining the quarterback's confidence.^[94][95] They found a willing listener in Modell, a bachelor who was closer to their age than the coach's.^[96]

Further cracks appeared in the "working partnership" between Paul Brown and Modell before the 1962 season. Brown made a trade without informing Modell, giving up star halfback

The rift between Brown and Modell only widened as the 1962 season progressed. Frank Ryan took Milt Plum's place as the team's starting quarterback by the end of the season, and the Browns finished with a 7–6–1 record. Jim Brown was not the NFL's leading rusher for the only time in his career.^[100]

Paul Brown is fired

On January 9, 1963, Art Modell sent a statement to the newswires: "Paul E. Brown, head coach and general manager, will no longer serve the team in those capacities", it said.

Paul Brown integrated pro football without uttering a single word about integration. He just went out, signed a bunch of great black athletes, and started kicking butt. That's how you do it. You don't talk about it. ... [I]n his own way, the man integrated football the right way – and no one was going to stop him.[105]

Modell named Brown's chief assistant,

Cleveland climbed back to the top of the eastern division in 1964 with a 10–3–1 record behind Jim Brown's league-leading 1,446 yards of rushing.^[111] Rookie wide receiver Paul Warfield led the team with 52 catches,^[112] and Frank Ryan cemented his place as the team's starting quarterback, recording the best game of his career in the season closer against the New York Giants, a game the Browns needed to win to advance to the championship.^[113] Yet despite Cleveland's prowess, the Browns went into the championship game as heavy underdogs against the Baltimore Colts. Most sportswriters predicted an easy win for the Colts, who led the league in scoring behind quarterback Johnny Unitas and halfback Lenny Moore. The Browns' defense, moreover, was suspect. The team gave up 20 more first downs than any other in the league.^[114] The teams, however, had not faced each other for three years. Before the game, Collier and Colts coach Don Shula agreed to give each other full access to video of regular-season games. Ever the student, Collier took full advantage of the opportunity. The Browns had run what was dubbed a "rubber band" pass defense, allowing short throws while trying to prevent big plays. The Colts' top receivers, however, Raymond Berry and Jimmy Orr, were not fast. They tended to pick apart defenses with short, tactical completions, which led Collier to institute a man-to-man pass defense for the game. This, he figured, would buy more time for the defensive line and force Unitas to scramble – not his forte.^[115]

The strategy paid off, and in the wind-whipped Cleveland Municipal Stadium two days after

The following year was a strong one as Jim Brown gritted out another league-leading rushing season.[119] The Browns ended with an 11–3 record and comfortably won the eastern division.^[120] That set up a second straight appearance in the NFL Championship game against the Packers on a slippery, mucky Lambeau Field on January 2, 1966. While the score was close early on, Vince Lombardi's team held the Browns scoreless in the second half, winning 23–12 in an upset on a Paul Hornung touchdown.^[121] After the season, the NFL and the competing American Football League agreed to merge starting in 1970, but would play an inter-league championship from the 1966 season onward. The 1965 championship thus became the NFL's last before the Super Bowl era, which ushered in a new age of popularity and prosperity for professional football.

In time, this game would be nearly forgotten, lost in the middle of Lombardi's great triumphs. ... This was both unfair and fitting in a sense, because the game was best considered on its own, a faded dream played in the mist and slop, a transitory moment between football past and future.

— David Maraniss, When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi^[122]

Playoff disappointments (1966–1973)

In early 1966 Jim Brown, who had begun an acting career two years before, was shooting for his second film in London.^[123] The Dirty Dozen cast Brown as Robert Jefferson, a convict sent to France during World War II to assassinate German officers meeting at a castle near Rennes in Brittany. Production delays due to bad weather meant he would miss at least the first part of training camp on the campus of Hiram College, which annoyed Modell, who threatened to fine Brown $1,500 for every week of camp he missed.^[124] Brown, who had previously said that 1966 would be his last season, announced his retirement instead.^[125] At the end of his nine-year career, Brown held records for most rushing yards in a game, a season and a career. He also owned the record for all-purpose yards in a career and best average per carry for a running back at 5.22 yards, a mark that still stands.^[126]

With Brown gone, halfback

The Browns opened the first post-merger season of 1970 by beating Joe Namath and the New York Jets in the first-ever broadcast of Monday Night Football on September 21.^[137] The following month, Cleveland faced Paul Brown's Bengals for the first time in a regular-season game, winning 30–27. That game was a highlight in an otherwise unsuccessful season. The Browns lost their second match against the Bengals 14–10 in November, when Phipps made his first start – Brown called it "my greatest victory" – and finished 7–7.^[138]

Plagued by hearing problems, the 64-year-old Collier announced his retirement before the end of the 1970 season.^[139] In eight years as coach, Collier led Cleveland to a championship and a 74–33–2 record.^[140] Nick Skorich was named as his replacement the following year.^[135] Skorich came to the Browns as offensive coordinator in 1964, when the team won the championship.^[135] In Cleveland's first year under Skorich, the team improved to 9–5 but lost to the Colts in a divisional playoff.^[141] Mike Phipps was promoted to starting quarterback over Nelsen before the 1972 season.^[141] After a sluggish start, the Browns went on tear and finished with a 10–4 record. That put Cleveland in a playoff against the undefeated Miami Dolphins. The Browns took a lead in the fourth quarter on a touchdown catch by wide receiver Fair Hooker, but the Dolphins responded with a long drive of their own, aided by a pair of Paul Warfield receptions. Running back Jim Kiick ran for a touchdown, sealing a 20–14 win and preserving the Dolphins' perfect season.^[142] The following year, Phipps threw 20 interceptions and completed less than half of his passes.^[142] After winning four of the first six games, the Browns slumped and placed third in the division with a 7–5–2 record.^[142]

Brian Sipe era and the Kardiac Kids (1974–1984)

Transition and poor play marked the mid- to late-1970s. Though Collier agreed to come back to the Browns as a quarterbacks coach on an informal basis, his retirement severed the last direct link to Brown and the team's early years.^[143] Meanwhile, a new generation of players began to replace the old hands who kept Cleveland in playoff contention through most of the 1960s. Gene Hickerson, an anchor on the offensive line in the 1960s, retired at the end of the 1973 season.^[144] An aging Leroy Kelly left the same year to play in the short-lived World Football League.^[145] Offensive lineman Dick Schafrath, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, retired in 1971.^[146]

Against that backdrop, the Browns finished the 1974 season with a 4–10 record, only the second losing season in the team's history.

Modell said he would look outside the Browns organization for a new coach, a break from past hirings that drew from the team's own ranks.[156] Peter Hadhazy, who Modell had hired as the Browns' first general manager, recommended a 45-year-old New Orleans Saints receivers coach named Sam Rutigliano. After an interview before Christmas in which Modell and Rutigliano spent hours talking and watching game film in Modell's basement, the owner named him head coach on December 27, 1977.^[156] An affable, charismatic man with an even temper, Rutigliano was a stark contrast to Gregg.^[157] Sipe immediately flourished under Rutigliano, racking up 21 touchdowns and 2,906 passing yards during the 1978 season, when the NFL moved to a 16-game schedule.^[152] His prime targets were Reggie Rucker, a veteran receiver the Browns signed in 1975, and Ozzie Newsome, a rookie tight end out of Alabama who the Browns drafted with a pick acquired in the Phipps trade.^[158] Cleveland won its first three games, but poor defense dashed the team's playoff chances and the Browns finished with an 8–8 record.^[159]

Kardiac Kids

Rutigliano was a gambler: he tinkered with offenses, took chances on trick plays and was not afraid to break with the play-calling conventions of his time.

The Kardiac Kids magic returned in the third game of the next season against the Chiefs, when the Browns scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to win 20–13.[167] More down-to-the-wire games followed, including one against Green Bay on October 19 in which the team won on a touchdown to receiver Dave Logan on the last play of the game.^[168] After a close win over the Steelers and a victory over the Bears in which Sipe broke Otto Graham's club record for career passing yards, the Browns met the Colts and eked out a 28–27 win.^[169] The team ended with an 11–5 record.^[170]

Red Right 88

That was good for first place in the AFC Central and a trip to the postseason for the first time since 1972.^[171] The Browns began their playoff run against the Oakland Raiders on January 4, 1981, in a bitterly cold Cleveland Municipal Stadium.^[172] The game started slowly: each team scored only a touchdown in the first half, although Cockroft missed Cleveland's extra point because of a bad snap.^[173] In the third quarter, Cleveland went ahead 12–7 on a pair of Cockroft field goals, but the Raiders came back in the final period, driving 80 yards down the field for a touchdown. That put Oakland ahead 14–12.^[174] The ball changed hands five times with no scoring from either side, and with 2:22 on the clock, Cleveland had a final shot to win the game.^[175] Sipe and the offense took over at the Browns' 15-yard line. In eight plays, Cleveland drove down to Oakland's 14, leaving 56 seconds on the clock.^[176]

After a one-yard Mike Pruitt run, Rutigliano called a timeout.^[176] A short field goal would have been the safe bet – that was all Cleveland needed to win. Rutigliano, ever the risk-taker, decided to go for a touchdown. The coach was reluctant to stake the game's outcome on the usually sure-footed Cockroft, who had missed two field goals and an extra point earlier in the game.^[176] The play he called was Red Right 88, a passing formation in which a slanting Logan would be Sipe's primary target, while Newsome was insurance. If everyone was covered, Rutigliano told Sipe on the sidelines, "if you feel you have to force the ball, throw it into Lake Erie, throw it into some blonde's lap in the bleachers."^[177] Sipe took the snap, dropped back and threw to Newsome as he crossed to the left. But Oakland safety Mike Davis leaped in front and intercepted the ball, cementing the Oakland win. The Raiders went on to win Super Bowl XV, while Red Right 88 became an enduring symbol of Cleveland's postseason stumbles.^[178]

Despite 1980's playoff defeat, the Browns were widely expected to be even better the following year, with many sportswriters and football experts predicting that the Browns' quarterback would lead them to a "Siper Bowl" in the 1981 season . But that season came with none of the comebacks or late-game magic the Kardiac Kids were known for. Several games were close, but most were losses. Sipe threw only 17 touchdowns and was intercepted 25 times.

The following two years brought the Sipe era and the short-lived success of the Kardiac Kids to an end.[182] Sipe returned to form in 1983, and the team narrowly missed a spot in the playoffs after a loss to the Houston Oilers in the second-to-last game of the regular season.^[183] Sipe signed before the end of the season to play for the New Jersey Generals, a team owned by real estate mogul Donald Trump in the upstart United States Football League.^[182]

In training camp before the 1984 season, cornerback Hanford Dixon tried to motivate the team's defensive linemen by barking at them between plays in practice and calling them "the Dogs". "You need guys who play like dogs up front, like dogs chasing a cat", Dixon said.^[184] The media picked up on the name, which gained traction in part because of the improvement of the Browns' defense during the regular season. Fans put on face paint and dog masks, and the phenomenon coalesced in rowdy fans in Cleveland Stadium's cheap bleachers section close to the field.^[184] The Dawg Pound, as the section was eventually nicknamed, is a continuing symbol of Cleveland's dedicated fan base.^[185]

Despite the defensive improvement, Sipe's departure left Cleveland's offense in disarray in 1984. Browns began the season 1–7 with McDonald at quarterback, and fans' frustration with the team and Rutigliano boiled over.^[183] The breaking point came in an October 7 game against the New England Patriots that bore an eerie resemblance to Cleveland's 1980 playoff loss to the Raiders. The Browns were down 17–16 in the fourth quarter, and lost on an interception in New England's end zone as time expired.^[186] Chants of "Goodbye Sam" rung out from the stands after the New England game. Modell called the play-calling "inexcusable" and fired Rutigliano two weeks later.^[187] Defensive coordinator Marty Schottenheimer took over, and the Browns ended with a 5–11 record.^[188]

Bernie Kosar years, The Drive and The Fumble (1985–1990)

The selection of

Kosar, who wanted to play for Cleveland because his family lived in a suburb of nearby Youngstown, signed a five-year contract worth nearly $6 million in 1985 and was immediately embraced by the Browns organization and the team's fans.^[190] "It's not an everyday occurrence that somebody wants to play in Cleveland", Modell said. "This has lent such an aura to Bernie."^[191] Kosar saw his first action in the fifth week of the 1985 season against the New England Patriots, when he substituted before halftime for Gary Danielson, a 34-year-old veteran who the Browns had acquired in the offseason from the Lions.^[192] Kosar fumbled his first-ever NFL snap, but rebounded and led the team to a 24–20 win.^[193] A mix of success and failure followed, but Kosar progressed a bit more each Sunday and led the team to an 8–8 record.^[194] Two young running backs, Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack, complemented Kosar's aerial attack with more than 1,000 yards rushing each.^[195]

While not stellar, the Browns' record won first place in a weak AFC Central, and the team looked poised to shock the heavily favored Miami Dolphins in a divisional playoff game on January 4, 1986.^[196] Cleveland surged to a 21–3 halftime lead, and it took a spirited second-half comeback by Dan Marino and the Dolphins to win it 24–21 and end the Browns' season.^[197] Despite the loss, many people expected Cleveland to be back the following year. "The Browns' days, the good days, are here and ahead of us", radio personality Pete Franklin said.^[198]

Prior to the 1986 season the Browns lost standout safety and former defensive rookie of the year Don Rogers. Rogers died of a cocaine overdose leaving the team without one of its best defenders in the secondary for the 1986 season. Despite the tumultuous off season, 1986 marked Cleveland's entry into the ranks of the NFL's elite as Kosar's play improved and the defensive unit came together. Kosar threw for 3,854 yards to a corps of receivers that included Brian Brennan, Newsome and rookie Webster Slaughter.^[199] On defense, cornerbacks Frank Minnifield and Hanford Dixon emerged as one of the NFL's premiere pass-defending duos.^[200] After a slow start, the Browns rose to the top of the divisional standings, twice beating the Pittsburgh Steelers and ending a 16-game losing streak at Three Rivers Stadium.^[201] A 12–4 record earned Cleveland home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.^[202]

The Browns' first opponents in the 1986 playoffs were the New York Jets.^[203] The Jets were ahead for most of the game and held a 20–10 lead as time wound down in the final quarter. But Cleveland took over and began a march down the field, ending with a Kevin Mack touchdown.^[204] The defense forced the Jets to punt after the ensuing kickoff, leaving the offense with less than a minute to get within field goal range and even the score at 20–20. A pass interference penalty and a completion to Slaughter put the ball at the Jets' five-yard line, and kicker Mark Moseley booted through the tying score with 11 seconds left.^[205] In an initial 15-minute overtime period, Moseley missed a short field goal and neither team scored, sending the game into double overtime.^[206] This time, Moseley made a field goal and won the game for the Browns 23–20. It was the team's first playoff victory in 17 years.^[207]

The Drive

The following week, the Browns matched up against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game in Cleveland.^[208] Denver got out to an early lead, but Cleveland tied the game and then went ahead 20–13 in the fourth quarter.^[209] After the ensuing kickoff, the Broncos were pinned at their own 2-yard line with 5:32 remaining. Denver quarterback John Elway then engineered a 98-yard drive for a touchdown with the cold, whipping wind in his face.^[210] "The Drive", as the series came to be known, tied the score and sent the game into overtime. Cleveland received the ball first in the sudden-death period but was stopped by the Denver defense. On Denver's first possession, Elway again led the Broncos on a long drive ending with a Rich Karlis field goal that sailed just inside the left upright and won the game.^[211] The drive that tied the game has since come to be seen as one of the best in playoff history, and is remembered by Cleveland fans as an historic meltdown. Denver went on to lose Super Bowl XXI to the New York Giants.^[212]

The drive, one of the finest ever engineered in a championship game, had been performed directly in the Browns' faces. There was no sneakiness about it; John Elway had simply shown what a man with all the tools could do. It was what everybody who had watched him enter the league as perhaps the most heralded quarterback since Joe Namath knew he could do. One was left with the distinct feeling that Elway would have marched his team down a 200-yard-or 300-yard-or five-mile-long field to pay dirt.

— Rick Telander, Sports Illustrated^[213]

Although downtrodden by 1986's playoff defeat, Cleveland continued to win the following season.^[214] Minnifield and Dixon excelled defending the pass, while Matthews and defensive tackle Bob Golic kept runners in check.^[215] The Browns finished with a 10–5 record in 1987 and won the AFC Central for the third year in a row.^[216] In the divisional playoff round, the Browns faced the Indianapolis Colts and won 38–21.^[217]

The Fumble

The win set up a rematch with the Broncos in the AFC Championship in Denver.

The 1988 season was marred by injuries to the Browns' quarterbacks. Kosar was injured in the opener against Kansas City Chiefs and two backups were subsequently injured, leaving Don Strock, who the Browns signed as an emergency fill-in, to start before Kosar's return.^[223] Kosar came back but was hurt again at the end of the regular season.^[224] Despite the rotating cast of quarterbacks, Cleveland managed to finish with a 10–6 record and made the playoffs as a wild-card team.^[225] Cleveland met the Houston Oilers in the wild-card playoff round at home, but lost the game 24–23.^[226] Four days after the Oilers loss, Schottenheimer and Modell announced that the coach would leave the team by mutual consent. Modell felt hiring an offensive coordinator was necessary to keep pace with the Oilers and the Bengals, a pair of divisional opponents then on the rise, but Schottenheimer said it "became evident that some of the differences we had, we weren't going to be able to resolve."^[227][228] Modell named Bud Carson as his replacement.^[229]

Carson, an architect of Pittsburgh's 1970s "Steel Curtain" defenses, made several changes to Cleveland's lineup.^[230] Byner was traded to the Washington Redskins in April, while the Browns moved up in the draft to acquire Eric Metcalf.^[231] Kevin Mack, meanwhile, was suspended for the first four games of the 1989 season after pleading guilty to cocaine possession.^[232] Despite these changes, Kosar led Cleveland to a division-winning 9–6–1 record in 1989, including a season-opening 51–0 shutout of the rival Pittsburgh Steelers and the team's first victory over the Denver Broncos in 15 years.^[233] Cleveland narrowly survived a scare from the Buffalo Bills in the first playoff game, staving off a comeback thanks to an interception in the Browns' end zone by Clay Matthews with 14 seconds on the clock.^[234] The victory set up the third AFC championship matchup in four years between the Browns and Broncos. The Broncos led from start to finish, and a long Elway touchdown pass to Sammy Winder put the game way in the fourth quarter. Denver won 37–21.^[235]

The defeat in Mile High Stadium proved to be the last of Cleveland's streak of playoff appearances in the mid- to late-1980s. Kosar played through numerous injuries in 1989, including bruising on his right arm and a bad knee.^[236] Strong defense had carried the Browns to the playoffs even when the offense faltered, but that all crumbled in 1990. Kosar threw more interceptions than touchdowns for the first time in his career, and the defense allowed more points than any other in the league.^[237] The Browns' 2–7 start cost Carson his job.^[238] Jim Shofner was named interim head coach, and the team finished 3–13.^[239] After the season Bill Belichick, the defensive coordinator of the then-Super Bowl champion New York Giants, was named head coach.^[240]

Bill Belichick and Modell's move (1991–1995)

Belichick era

Belichick, who came to the Browns after 12 years mostly with the Giants under

By the end of 1992, Kosar's physical decline had long been apparent to Belichick, which left the coach with a difficult choice.[245] Kosar was Cleveland's most popular athlete, a hometown boy who had forgone big money and a bigger profile to lead a struggling team back to the top.^[245] While he recognized it would be an unpopular decision, Belichick wanted to bench Kosar, and in 1992 the team picked up a potential replacement in Vinny Testaverde from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.^[246] Belichick named Kosar the starter before the 1993 season,^[247] but in the third game against the Raiders, Belichick pulled Kosar after he threw his third interception of the night. Taking over with Los Angeles ahead 13–0, Testaverde led two touchdown drives to win the game. Two weeks later, Belichick named Testaverde the starter. On the verge of tears after a loss to the Dolphins, Kosar said he was disappointed with the decision and felt he had done what he could with what was at his disposal.^[248]

Kosar returned after Testaverde suffered a separated right shoulder in a win against the Steelers on October 24, but it was only temporary. The day after a loss against the Broncos the following week, the team cut him.

Cleveland managed to right the ship in 1994. While the quarterback situation had not stabilized, the defense led the league in fewest points allowed.[251] The Browns finished 11–5, making the playoffs for the first time in five years. The Browns beat the Patriots in a wild-card game,^[252] but arch-rival Pittsburgh won a 29–9 victory in the divisional playoff, ending the Browns' season.^[253]

Modell's Move to Baltimore

As the Browns recaptured a hint of past success in 1994, all was not well behind the scenes. Modell was in financial trouble. The origins of Modell's woes dated to 1973, when he worked out a deal to lease Cleveland Municipal Stadium from the city for a pittance: only enough to service the facility's debt and pay property taxes.

When the stadium was profitable, Modell had used Stadium Corp. to buy land in Strongsville that he had previously acquired as the potential site for a future new stadium. Modell originally paid $625,000 for the land, but sold it to his own Stadium Corp. for more than $3 million. Then, when the stadium was taking losses in 1981, he sold Stadium Corp. itself to the Browns for $6 million. This led to a fight the following year with Bob Gries, whose family had been part of the Browns' ownership group since its founding and had 43% of the team to Modell's 53%. Gries's complaint was that Modell treated the Browns and Stadium Corp. as his own fiefdom, rarely consulting him about the team's business. The sale of Stadium Corp. to the Browns, he argued, enriched Modell at the team's expense.^[257] Gries's case went to the Ohio Supreme Court, where he won. In 1986, Modell had to reverse the Browns' purchase of Stadium Corp. and pay $1 million in Gries's legal fees. This left Modell in need of financial help, and it came in the form of Al Lerner, a banking and real estate executive who bought half of Stadium Corp. and 5% of the Browns in 1986.^[258]

His reputation damaged by the lawsuits, Modell was eager to get out of Cleveland. He met with Baltimore officials about selling the Browns to Lerner and buying an expansion team to replace the Colts, who had left for Indianapolis in 1984. He also discussed moving the Browns.^[259] Proposals were made to spend $175 million on a stadium renovation after the Indians and Cleveland Cavaliers got new facilities in downtown Cleveland, but it was not enough.^[260] As the Browns started the 1995 season with a 4–4 record, word leaked that Modell was moving the team.^[261] Beset by rising player salaries and political indifference to the team's financial plight, he said he was forced to move.^[262] The day after Modell formally announced the move, Cleveland voters overwhelmingly approved the $175 million of stadium renovations. Despite this, Modell ruled out a reversal of his decision, saying his relationship with Cleveland had been irrevocably severed. "The bridge is down, burned, disappeared", he said. "There's not even a canoe there for me."^[263]

The city immediately sued to prevent the move, on the basis that the lease of the stadium was active until 1998. Fans were in an uproar, staging protests, signing petitions, filing lawsuits and appealing to other NFL owners to block the relocation. Advertisers pulled out of the stadium, fearing fans' ire.^[264] Talks between the city, Modell and the NFL continued as the Browns finished the season with a 5–11 record. At the team's final home game against the Bengals, unruly fans in the Dawg Pound bleachers section rained debris, beer bottles and entire sections of seats onto the field, forcing officials to move play to the opposite end to ensure players' safety.^[265] Cleveland won the game, its only victory after the announcement of the move.^[266]

The following February, the warring parties reached a compromise. Under its terms, Modell would be allowed to take his personnel to Baltimore, but would leave Cleveland the Browns' colors, logos and heritage for a reactivated Browns franchise that would take the field no later than 1999.^[267] The $175 million earmarked for stadium improvements was to be used instead build a new stadium, with up to $48 million of additional financial assistance from the NFL. Further, Modell was ordered to pay Cleveland $9.3 million to compensate for lost revenues and taxes during the Browns' three years of inactivity, plus up to $2.25 million of the city's legal fees. As a result of the deal Modell's team, later named the Baltimore Ravens, is officially considered an expansion franchise, while the Browns were officially regarded as suspended by the NFL from 1996 to 1998.^[268]

Preparations For a Return (1996–1998)

Preparations for a reactivated franchise began shortly after Modell, the city and the NFL struck their compromise. The NFL established the Cleveland Browns Trust to direct the Browns' return in early 1996, and in June appointed Bill Futterer as its president. Futterer, who had helped bring the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets expansion teams to North Carolina, was charged with marketing the team, selling season tickets and representing the NFL's interests in the construction of a new stadium.^[269] The trust also leased suites, sold personal seat licenses in the new stadium and reorganized Browns Backers fan clubs.^[270] By September 1996, architects were finalizing the design of a new stadium to be built following the destruction of Cleveland Municipal Stadium.^[271] Demolition work began on the old stadium in November, and the ground-breaking for the new stadium took place the following May.^[272]

As the stadium's construction got underway, the NFL began to search for an owner for the team, which the league decided would be an expansion franchise March 23, 1998.^[273] A litany of potential owners lined up, including Kosar and a group backed partly by HBO founder Charles Dolan, comedian Bill Cosby and former Miami coach Don Shula.^[274][275] The ultimate winner was Al Lerner, the Baltimore man who had helped Modell in 1986 by buying a small stake in the Browns.^[276][277] A seven-member NFL expansion committee awarded the team to Lerner for $530 million in September 1998.^[277] Lerner, then 65 years old, had a majority share, while Carmen Policy, who helped build the 49ers dynasty of the 1980s, owned 10% of the team and was to run football operations.^[277]

As the Browns geared up to reactivate, the Browns Trust set up a countdown clock for the team's return

Construction on the new stadium finished on time in August 1999, paving the way for Cleveland to host a football game for the first time in more than three years.[284] During the years after Modell's move and the Browns' suspension, a dozen new stadiums were built for NFL teams. Citing the precedent set by the Browns' relocation, NFL owners used the threat of a move to convince their cities to build new stadiums with public funds.^[285]

Rejoining the NFL (1999–2003)

Cleveland fans' hopes were high upon the arrival of the new team. However, as an expansion team the Browns were forced to build a new roster from scratch using rookies, free agents, and the players other teams chose not to protect in the expansion draft. With a new team composed of a mix of fresh faces and castoffs, the Browns floundered. The Steelers shut out the Browns 43–0 in the season opener at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 12, 1999, the first of seven straight losses. A 2–14 season in 1999 was followed by a 3–13 record in 2000 after Couch suffered a season-ending thumb injury. Early in 2001, Policy and Lerner fired Palmer. The coach and the team, Policy said, were not headed in the right direction.^[286]

The Browns improved under Davis, and contended for a spot in the 2001 playoffs until a loss in the 15th week against Jacksonville that featured one of the most controversial calls in team history.[288] As time expired in the fourth quarter with the Jaguars ahead 15–10, Couch led a drive into Jacksonville territory. On a fourth-down play that the team needed to convert to stay in the game, Couch threw to receiver Quincy Morgan over the middle. Morgan appeared to bobble the ball before grasping it firmly as he hit the ground. After the pass was ruled complete and Couch spiked the ball to stop the clock, officials reversed Morgan's catch on a replay review. As Davis pleaded his case that the play could not be reviewed because another play had been run, frustrated fans began throwing plastic beer bottles onto the field. Amid the bedlam, later named "bottlegate", officials ended the game with 48 seconds on the clock and left the field as objects rained down on them from the stands.^[288] After most of the fans had left, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue called and ordered the game to be completed. Jacksonville ran down the clock for the win, and the Browns finished the season at 7–9.^[289]

Cleveland improved again in 2002, but Lerner did not live to see his team make the playoffs. He died in October 2002 at 69 of brain cancer. Browns players wore a patch with the initials "AL" for the remainder of the season.^[290] Ownership of the team, meanwhile, passed to his son Randy.^[291] Cleveland finished the season with a 9–7 record, earning a spot in the playoffs as a wild-card team.^[292] Couch suffered a broken leg in the final game of the season, however, and backup Kelly Holcomb started in the Browns' first playoff game versus the Steelers. Cleveland held the lead for most of the game as Holcomb passed for 429 yards. But a defensive collapse helped Pittsburgh come charging back in the fourth quarter and win 36–33 to end the Browns' season.^[293] This was the only postseason appearance for the Browns since resuming operations in 1999 until they made the playoffs in 2020.

Playoff drought and continuous change (2003–2020)

The team's progress under Davis screeched to a halt in 2003. The Browns finished 5–11, and Randy Lerner embarked upon a major front-office reshuffling.^[294] Policy resigned unexpectedly as president and chief executive of the Browns in April 2004, saying things had changed after Al Lerner's death. "I opened the door and it was like someone sucked the air and the life out of Berea", he said. "He was a major presence for the organization. I'm talking about the aura, and the inner power of the man."^[295] John Collins was named as his replacement.^[295] Several other front-office executives also stepped down, including chief contract negotiator Lal Heneghan and lead spokesman Todd Stewart.^[296]

The 2004 season was little better, and Davis resigned in November with the team at 3–8. Lerner had given him a contract extension through 2007 that January, but Davis said "intense pressure and scrutiny" made the move necessary.^[297] Offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie was named head coach for the remainder of the season, which the Browns finished 4–12.^[297] On January 6, 2005, while the Browns were still searching for a new head coach, the team announced Phil Savage's appointment as general manager.^[298] Savage, who was director of player personnel for the Baltimore Ravens for two years, had a hand in drafting Ed Reed, Jamal Lewis, Ray Lewis and other stars for the Ravens.^[298]

A month later, Cleveland brought in Romeo Crennel as the head coach, signing him to a five-year deal worth $11 million. Crennel was the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, who had just won the Super Bowl.^[299] His style was described as "quiet, reserved and gentlemanly", but he said he wanted to stock the team with tough, physical players.^[299] Before the start of training camp, the Browns acquired veteran quarterback Trent Dilfer from the Seattle Seahawks.^[300] In the draft that year the Browns took wide receiver Braylon Edwards with the third pick in the first round.^[301]

Dilfer was the starting quarterback to begin the 2005 season. The team started 2–2, but had two three-game losing streaks later in the season and finished with a 6–10 record.^[302] In the team's final five games, rookie Charlie Frye took over as the starting quarterback, winning two of those contests. Before the Browns' final regular-season game, the front office was embroiled in a controversy that threatened to send the team into rebuilding mode. Citing sources, ESPN reported that president John Collins was going to fire general manager Phil Savage over "philosophical differences" in managing the salary cap.^[303] The resulting uproar from fans and local media was so strong that it was Collins who resigned on January 3, 2006.^[304] A replacement for Collins was not immediately named, and Randy Lerner assumed his responsibilities.^[304]

Cleveland regressed in the ensuing season, finishing with a 4–12 record. Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., who the Browns had drafted in 2004, put up respectable numbers, but the Browns were close to the bottom of the league in points scored and offensive yards gained.^[305] Frye injured his wrist toward the end of the season and shared starts with quarterback Derek Anderson, who showed promise in the five games he played in.^[306] During the season, the team produced a series of articles on its website called 60th Moments. The series commemorated the establishment of the Browns 60 years before in 1946, recapturing the 60 greatest moments in franchise history. Beginning on September 6, 2006, the Browns' site ran articles covering those 60 moments; the final article ran on December 31, 2006.^[307][308]

After two losing seasons, the Browns made it back to contention in 2007. After opening with a 34–7 loss to the Steelers, the Browns traded Frye to the Seahawks and put Anderson in as the starter.^[309] In his first start, Anderson led the Browns to a surprise 51–45 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, throwing five touchdown passes and tying the franchise record. More success followed, and the Browns finished the regular season with a 10–6 record, the team's best mark since finishing 11–5 in 1994.^[310] While the Browns tied with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North, the team missed the playoffs because of two tie-breaking losses to Pittsburgh earlier in the season. Still, six players were selected for the Pro Bowl, including Anderson, Winslow, Edwards, kick returner Josh Cribbs and rookie left tackle Joe Thomas.^[311] Crennel agreed to a two-year contract extension until 2011,^[312] and the team hired Mike Keenan as team president, filling a position left vacant upon the departure of Collins two years before.^[313]

Expectations were high for the 2008 season, but Cleveland finished last in the AFC North with a 4–12 record.^[314] Anderson shared starts with Ken Dorsey, who the Browns had acquired by trading away Trent Dilfer, and Brady Quinn, a young quarterback the team drafted in 2007.^[315][316] The Browns never contended during 2008 and failed to score a touchdown in the final six games. Near the end of the season, two scandals shook the team. It was revealed that several Browns players, including Winslow, were suffering from staph infections, which raised questions about sanitation in the Browns' Berea practice facilities.^[317] In November, Savage found himself in the center of a media storm after an angry e-mail exchange with a fan was published on Deadspin, a sports blog.^[318] Shortly after the final game, a 31–0 loss to the Steelers, Lerner fired Savage and, a day later, Crennel.^[319]

Holmgren/Heckert: 2009–2011

Cleveland pursued former Steelers coach and Browns linebacker Bill Cowher and former Browns scout Scott Pioli for the head coaching job.^[319] The team, however, hired former New York Jets coach Eric Mangini in January 2009.^[320] Before the start of the season, Mangini and the front office traded Winslow to the Buccaneers after five seasons marked by injuries and a motorcycle crash that threatened to end the tight end's career.^[321] The Browns showed little sign of improvement in Mangini's first year, finishing 5–11 in 2009. While Cleveland lost 11 of its first 12 games, the team won the final four games of the season, including a 13–6 victory over the rival Steelers.^[322]

At the end of the season, Lerner hired former Packers coach

Following Mangini's firing, the Browns named Pat Shurmur as his replacement. Formerly the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams, Shurmur helped groom quarterback Sam Bradford. Holmgren and Heckert hoped he could do the same with McCoy.^[331] Contract negotiations between the NFL Players Association and the league shortened the 2011 off-season, which gave Shurmur little time to coach McCoy or institute his version of the West Coast offense.^[332] The team started at 2–1, then 3–3, but McCoy's struggles and a lack of offensive production led to a series of defeats, including six straight losses to end the year. The Browns finished the season at 4–12.^[333] During that same season, comedian and frustrated Browns fan Mike Polk made a video to complain about the team's futility, screaming "You are a factory of sadness!" while facing Cleveland Browns Stadium. "Factory of Sadness" has since become a colloquial nickname for the stadium.^[334]

In the offseason, Hillis signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs after a lackluster season and unsuccessful contract talks with the Browns.

On September 6, Art Modell died in Baltimore at the age of 87.[337] Although the Browns planned to have a moment of silence on their home opener for their former owner, his family asked the team not to, well aware of the less-than-friendly reaction it was likely to get.^[338] Weeden started the Browns' first game of the season. The 28-year-old rookie threw four interceptions in a 17–16 loss to Philadelphia in which the Browns' only touchdown was scored by the defense.^[339]

In July 2012, owner Randy Lerner announced he planned to sell the Browns to businessman Jimmy Haslam.^[340] The sale was finalized on August 2, 2012, in excess of $1 billion.^[341] Haslam officially was approved as the new owner on October 16, 2012, at the NFL owners' meetings, and the very next day former Eagles president Joe Banner was named as the Browns' new CEO.

The Browns began the 2012 season by losing their first five games. Having lost their last six games to end the 2011 season, this marked an 11-game losing streak, tied for the longest in team history with the 1974–1975 teams.

Banner/Lombardi/Chudzinski: 2013

After interviewing numerous candidates such as Chip Kelly and Ken Whisenhunt, the Browns decided to hire former offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, Rob Chudzinski, on January 10, 2013.

On January 15, 2013, Haslam and Banner announced the naming rights to Cleveland Browns Stadium were sold to FirstEnergy, and the stadium would be renamed FirstEnergy Stadium. The name change officially received Cleveland City Council approval on February 15, 2013.

On January 18, 2013, the Browns hired

The Browns would finish with a 4–12 record in the first season under the new regime, finishing last in the AFC North Division, and losing seven in a row to finish the 2013 campaign. Following the 2013 season finale on December 29, 2013, the Browns fired Chudzinski after only one year as head coach.[344]

Scheiner/Farmer/Pettine: 2014–2015

On January 24, 2014, the Browns hired Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine as the 15th full-time head coach in team history.^[345] On February 11, 2014, the Browns announced that Lombardi would be replaced by Ray Farmer as general manager, and that Joe Banner would resign as CEO.^[346] In the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, the Browns selected cornerback Justin Gilbert from Oklahoma State with the eighth pick, and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M with the 22nd overall pick.^[347]

Beginning in the 2014 season, the Browns use a live bullmastiff named "Swagger" as their new mascot.^[348] On October 5, 2014, the Browns staged the largest rally in team history, when after trailing the Tennessee Titans 28–3 with 1:09 left in the second quarter, Cleveland scored 26 unanswered points to win the game 29–28. This was also the largest rally by a road team in NFL history.^[349][350] After a 7–4 start, the Browns would lose their final five games to finish the 2014 season at 7–9, last in the AFC North.

In February 2015, the team made headlines when two high-profile players were in the news due to substance abuse issues. On Monday February 2, it was announced quarterback Johnny Manziel had checked himself into a treatment center, reportedly for alcoholism. The following day, wide receiver Josh Gordon was suspended for the 2015 season due to failing a drug test.^[351] On February 28, it was revealed that former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown had signed a three-year deal with the Browns. On March 30, the NFL announced that Browns general manager Ray Farmer would be suspended for the first four regular season games, and that the team would be fined $250,000 (U.S.) for Farmer text messaging the coaching staff during games in the 2014 season, which is against NFL rules. The story had been dubbed "Textgate" due to its scandalous nature.^[352]

On April 14 at a ceremony at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, the team unveiled their new uniforms. They feature brown, white, and orange jerseys along with brown, white, and orange pants that can be worn in any combination. Unique features include the word "Cleveland" across the front of the jersey, the word "Browns" going down the pant leg, and the words "Dawg Pound" on the inside collar - all first of their kind features on NFL uniforms. Browns President Alec Scheiner compared these new jerseys to those of the Oregon Ducks football team, as the Ducks are known for their various uniform combinations.^[353]

In the

On September 8, 2015, the Browns announced that they indefinitely suspended offensive line coach Andy Moeller after an alleged domestic assault incident at his home during Labor Day weekend. This meant that at the beginning of the 2015 regular season, the team had a player (Josh Gordon), a coach (Moeller), and a front office executive (Ray Farmer) all suspended for various league and legal infractions.^[354] Moeller would subsequently be fired on September 29.^[355]

After starting 2–3, the Browns lost 10 of their last 11 games to finish the 2015 season at 3–13. This stretch included a 33–27 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens in which Ravens safety Will Hill return a blocked field goal 64 yards for a touchdown on the game's final play. The Browns lost at home 37–3 to the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals the following week, dropping the team's record to 2–10 and making them the first team in the 2015 season to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. On January 3, 2016, soon after the final game of the season (a 28–12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers), both Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine were fired from their respective positions as general manager and head coach.^[356]

Browns infamy: 2016–2019

In January 2016, the Browns made headlines when after firing Farmer and Pettine, promoted general counsel Sashi Brown to executive vice president of football operations, and hired longtime baseball executive Paul DePodesta as chief strategy officer. These moves were viewed nationally as the Browns trying to take a more analytics intensive approach to building the team, taking a page from the "Moneyball" style of Major League Baseball teams like the Oakland Athletics - of which DePodesta helped pioneer during his time as an assistant to Athletics general manager Billy Beane. With Brown essentially taking over general manager duties, this marks the fourth different head of personnel (either as general manager or similar job title) under the Haslam ownership era, which began in 2012.^[357][358]

On January 13, 2016, the Browns hired Bengals offensive coordinator (and former Oakland head coach) Hue Jackson as head coach - making him the eighth full-time head coach since the team's return in 1999 and fourth since 2012, when the Haslam ownership era began.^[359]

On January 28, the Browns hired

Hue Jackson's first two seasons, while historically atrocious, netted the Browns two consecutive first overall picks: Myles Garrett (top) and Baker Mayfield (bottom)

In the midst of a disappointing 2017 season, Brown was fired as executive vice president of football operations on December 7, 2017,

On January 9, 2019, owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager John Dorsey named interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens the 17th head coach of the Cleveland Browns, due in part to the offense's improvement and Baker Mayfield's growth under Kitchens in the second half of the 2018 season.[380]

On March 12, 2019, the Browns acquired Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and pass rusher Olivier Vernon in two separate trades with the New York Giants in exchange for offensive guard Kevin Zeitler, safety Jabrill Peppers, and two draft picks, including the Browns' 2019 first-round pick.^[381] The moves instantly raised expectations for the Browns, with many declaring them a Super Bowl contender despite their 16-year playoff drought, the longest active streak in the NFL.^[382]

The 2019 season, however, would prove to be a disaster for the Browns, who began the campaign by committing 18 penalties in a 43–13 blowout loss to the Tennessee Titans.^[383] Plagued by offensive sloppiness and poor discipline all year, they finished with a record of 6–10.^[384][385] The Browns fired Freddie Kitchens on December 29 hours after the Browns' final game of the season: a 33–23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the worst team in the NFL by record.^[386][387] Two days later, the Browns also parted ways with general manager John Dorsey after disagreements regarding structural changes to the front office.^[388][389]

Return to relevancy and playoffs (2020–present)

Stefanski era: 2020–present

After the departure of Kitchens and Dorsey, owner Jimmy Haslam elevated Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta's role within the organization, allowing him to lead the latest search for a new head coach.^[390] On January 12, 2020, the Browns hired Kevin Stefanski, the 37-year-old offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, as the 18th head coach in franchise history.^[391] On January 27, 2020, the Browns announced the hiring of Andrew Berry, the Philadelphia Eagles' vice president of football operations (and former Browns' front office executive), as executive vice president and general manager. At 32 years of age, Berry became the youngest general manager in NFL history.^[392]

The Browns spent much of the 2020 off-season gathering offensive personnel who would fit Stefanski's

On January 10, 2021, the Browns scored an NFL playoff record 28 first quarter points on their way to a 48–37 away victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round.[412]^[413] Baker Mayfield threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns in his playoff debut, leading the Browns to their first win at Heinz Field since 2003, first playoff win since 1995, and first road playoff victory since 1969.^[414][415] On January 17, 2021, the Browns lost 17–22 to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, ending their season.^[416] Despite the loss, the Browns received league-wide praise for the turnaround accomplished by the organization during the 2020 season and the excellent performances that came from the overhaul, with a growing number of fans and commentators seeing them as perennial playoff contenders for the future.

The Cleveland Browns spent much of the 2021 offseason reinforcing a porous defense that ranked in the bottom third of the NFL by most metrics.^[417] They signed safety John Johnson III and Pro Bowl defensive end Jadeveon Clowney in free agency, drafted cornerback Greg Newsome II and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft, and recovered several other players from season-ending injuries.

The Browns' 2021 season began with a 33–29 loss to the two-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.^[418] The following week, the Browns defeated the Houston Texans 31-21 for their first victory of the season.^[419] The game would prove to be a Pyrrhic victory, however, as quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a tuberosity fracture and torn labrum in his left shoulder while attempting to tackle a Texans player after throwing an interception.^[420] Mayfield only missed three games due to the injury but struggled mightily throughout the season: the Browns' passing offense ground to a halt, finishing 25th in completion percentage, 27th in passing yards per game, and 26th in passer rating.^{[421][422][423][424]} Mayfield's struggles and disconnect with his receivers led Odell Beckham Jr to request a trade (he was released soon after), while Jarvis Landry complained publicly that he wasn't receiving enough targets.^[425][426] While the Browns struggled on offense, the defense performed well. On September 26, 2021, the Browns defense held the Chicago Bears to 47 yards of total offense on their way to a 26–6 victory. The Bears' 47 net yards were the fewest Cleveland had allowed since 1946.^[427] The next week, the Browns defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–7, marking the first time the Browns held their opponents to single-digit points in consecutive games since 1995.^[428] Myles Garrett broke the team's single-season sack record with 16 and was named a first-team All Pro for the second consecutive season.^[429][430] Despite these defensive accomplishments, the Browns' faltering offense resulted in an 8–9 season, missing the postseason once more.^[431]

The Cleveland Browns entered the 2022 offseason in need of significant offensive improvement. On March 12, 2022, the Browns acquired four-time Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys.^[432] Jarvis Landry was released soon after.^[433] On March 18, the Browns traded six draft picks, including three first-round picks, to the Houston Texans in exchange for 26-year-old quarterback Deshaun Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler.^[434] The Browns consequently traded Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers.^[435]

The trade for Watson was highly controversial: at the time of the trade, Watson faced 22 active civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. Watson had sat out the entire 2021 season while criminal and civil litigation proceeded and the NFL conducted its own investigation. The Browns executed the trade days after a grand jury declined to press any criminal charges against Watson.^[436] As part of the trade, the Browns gave Watson a fully guaranteed 5-year, $230 million contract, the most guaranteed money given to a player in NFL history.^[437] Watson eventually reached a settlement with the NFL, agreeing to an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine.^[438]

Ironically, the Cleveland Browns began the 2022 season against the Carolina Panthers and their former quarterback Baker Mayfield. With Watson serving his 11-game suspension, journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett started for the Browns. The Browns won 26–24 thanks to a game-winning 58-yard field goal by rookie kicker Cade York in his professional debut. The win was the Browns' first in a season opener since 2004, and their first victory in a road season opener since 1994.^[439]

Week 1 of the 2023 season the Cleveland Browns won their first home game opener since 2004 by defeating the Bengals 24–3. It was the first time since 1993–1994 seasons that the Browns won consecutive opening day games. On December 17, the Browns defeated the Chicago Bears 20–17 to secure their 4th winning season since the Browns' reactivation in 1999. The team finished 2023 with a 11–6 record, good for second place in the AFC North, but would meet a quick exit in the playoffs at the hands of the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round, 45–14.

As of 2024, the Browns and Detroit Lions are the only two NFL teams to have played in 58 seasons of the Super Bowl era to never have a Super Bowl appearance. The Browns have had 5 opportunities to reach the big game: Loss to Baltimore Colts, 34–0 in the 1968 NFL championship to advance to Super Bowl III; loss to Minnesota Vikings, 27–7 in the 1969 NFL championship to advance to Super Bowl IV; 3 losses in the AFC championship game against the Denver Broncos to advance to Super Bowls XXI, XXII, and XXIV.

See also

• History of Cleveland
• List of Cleveland Browns seasons

References