Tim Couch
Preparations for the Browns to return began almost immediately upon the compromise being struck. The Cleveland Browns Trust was established by the NFL, with Bill Futterer (who helped bring the expansion Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets to North Carolina) appointed as president. He was charged with helping market the reborn Browns, selling season tickets and helping arrange the construction of a new stadium. In November 1996, Cleveland Municipal Stadium was demolished, and the stadium that now stands today began to be built in May 1987. As for ownership, businessman Al Lerner won ownership of the new Browns. In addition, Carmen Policy was appointed to run football operations. The first head coach of the reborn Browns was Chris Palmer, formerly the offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars. An expansion draft was then conducted to allow the Browns to fill out their roster, which they also did during free agency. The Browns also received the first overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, which they used to select Tim Couch, a quarterback out of the University of Kentucky. Construction of the new stadium finished in August 1999, right in time for the start of the season.
Tim Couch
In their first game since 1995, which took place on September 12th, 1999, the Browns were promptly smacked down by the Steelers by a score of 43-0. The Browns went 2-14 in their first season back. They went 3-13 during their second year back in 2000. Chris Palmer was fired after the season, with Butch Davis, former head coach at the University of Miami, stepping in to replace him. The Browns improved in 2001, and were in playoff contention until week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is when the infamous Bottlegate incident happened. It was prompted by officials controversially overturned a completed fourth-down pass by the Browns after another play had already been run, effectively ending Cleveland's comeback attempt. This "illegal" review prompted enraged fans to shower the field with thousands of plastic beer bottles, forcing the referees to briefly end the game early for safety before the NFL commissioner at the time, Paul Tagliabue, ordered the teams to return and finish the final 48 seconds. The Browns didn't make the playoffs that season, and finished 7-9. The Browns improved in 2002, but Al Lerner died of brain cancer in October 2002 and didn't see the team make the playoffs. In the playoffs for the first time since returning, sporting a 9-7 record, the Browns played against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The Browns blew a 33-21 fourth quarter lead and lost 36-33. This marked the last time the Browns would make the playoffs for a long, long time.
Bottlegate
2002 Browns v Steelers Playoff Game
From 2003 to 2020, the Browns became a dysfunctional laughingstock. They were the joke of the league, and were often the blueprint other teams studied for what not to do. They seemingly constantly found ways to out-embarrass themselves every single time. The team was a revolving door of head coaches, general managers and most especially quarterbacks. As of this date, the Browns have started an incomprehensible 42 different quarterbacks since they returned in 1999. Even more shocking, only a small handful have been respectably decent. In addition, the Browns have employed 13 head coaches and 10 general managers since 1999. The closest the Browns came to making the playoffs during this time period was in 2007, guided by quarterback Derek Anderson, although they narrowly missed out, even with their 10-6 record. The Browns had some decent players during this stretch, such as Braylon Edwards, Josh Cribbs and Joe Thomas, but they could never just get out of their own way, only managing one single winning season (2007) from 1999 and before the 2020 season. In 2012, Randy Lerner sold the team to businessman Jimmy Haslem, who still owns the team to this day. The Browns seemingly finally hit rock bottom in 2016 and 2017 under head coach Hue Jackson. Over that two year span, the Browns went a combined 1-31, including the infamous 0-16 season in 2017, which prompted the fans to throw a sarcastic parade to "celebrate" going 0-16. The only upside to the 2017 season was that the Browns drafted defensive end Myles Garrett first overall that year, and he would go on to become the best pass rusher in the NFL. The Browns wasted the career of Joe Thomas, who played 10,363 consecutive snaps from the time he was drafted in 2007 until he torn his triceps in the 0-16 2017 season, retiring after the season.
Joe Thomas
DeShone Kizer, quarterback of the 0-16 Browns
Myles Garrett during his rookie season
The Browns reward for going 0-16 was the ability to make the first overall pick for the second consecutive year. Cleveland used that number one pick to select quarterback Baker Mayfield from the University of Oklahoma, a former Heisman Trophy winner. Three picks later, the Browns selected cornerback Denzel Ward out of Ohio State. In the second round, the Browns drafted running back Nick Chubb out of the University of Georgia. They also took Antonio Callaway, a wide receiver from Florida. The Browns also traded for Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry (who would be beyond monumental in helping change the teams culture) from the Dolphins. These moves, and more, were made by new general manager John Dorsey, who was set on "awaking the sleeping giant that was the Cleveland Browns". Baker Mayfield opened the 2018 season as the backup to veteran Tyrod Taylor. In their first two games, the Browns tied the Steelers in Week 1 and lost to the Saints in New Orleans. In Week 3, vs the Jets on Thursday Night Football, Taylor suffered a concussion, forcing Baker Mayfield to enter the game just before halftime. Baker put on an electric show, leading the Browns back from a 14-0 deficit to win 21-17, the teams first win in 635 calendar days, a 19 game overall winless streak. Baker became the starting quarterback for the rest of the season and played incredibly well, especially after Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were both fired, and with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams taking over as the interim head coach. Baker led the team with a certain moxy, "aura" if you will. Baker helped lead the Browns to a 7-8-1 record, the teams best record in what felt like eternity, but in reality since 2007. Baker set the rookie record for touchdown passes (27), though it has since been broken. Going into the 2019 season, interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens was given the head coaching job, thanks to the job he did improving Baker and the offense. In the offseason, the Browns made a blockbuster move, trading for superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants. That move alone catapulted the Browns into Super Bowl expectations, even though they hadn't made the playoffs in 16 years. The season was an absolute disaster for the Browns. They got blown out 43-13 by the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, a game where the Browns committed 18 penalties. The team was plagued by offensive sloppiness and discipline all year, highlighted by the ugly Myles Garrett vs Mason Rudolph incident. The Browns finished 2019 going 6-10. Freddie Kitchens was fired after one season. John Dorsey was also fired.
Baker Mayfield during his debut
Nick Chubb during his rookie season
Denzel Ward during his rookie season
Jarvis Landry
Odell Beckham Jr.
The Mason Rudolph vs Myle Garrett incident
The Browns hired Kevin Stefanski, formerly offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, as their next head coach. He got right to work implementing his vision for the Cleveland Browns, signing offensive tackle Jack Conklin and tight end Austin Hooper very early into free agency. The COVID pandemic restricted Browns ability to do any in person work, and they were restricted purely to virtual meetings. The lack of preparation showed in the season opener, with the Browns being blown out by the Baltimore Ravens 38-6. However, over the next four weeks, something incredible happened. The Browns won four straight games for the first time since 2009. The team was fun, scoring over 30 points per game in all of those games. The rushing attack, comprised of Nick CHubb and Kareem Hunt, was running teams into the ground. Later on in the season, the Browns improved to 9-3 after beating the Titans, solidifying their first winning season since 2007. Even through COVID issues throughout the team, the Browns kept it together. The Browns entered the final week of the season needing to beat the Steelers at home to clinch a playoff spot. They did just that, winning 24-22, finishing 11-5 and, most importantly, clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2002. The Browns played the Steelers again the very next week in the Wild Card round, this time in Pittsburgh. In am moment that could only be described as pure ecstasy for Browns fans and all of the pain, anger and embarrassment that had been felt since 1999, the Browns absolutely dominated the Steelers, having a 28-0 lead before the end of the first quarter and winning the game 48-37 for the teams first playoff win since 1995 and first road playoff win since 1969. However, the Browns lost in the Divisional Round the next week at the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, 22-17, in a heartbreaking end to a magical season.
2020 Wild Card Game
Big Ben being sad after the L
2020 Divisional Game
The Browns spent much of the 2021 offseason trying to improve their defense, signing many free agents. They lost the season opener, attempting to get revenge vs Kansas City. The week, a win vs the Texans, the season was essentially derailed after Baker Mayfield tore the labrum in his non throwing shoulder while attempting to make a tackle after an interception. He only missed a few games before attempting to play through it, struggling mightily. The struggles were so abd the OBJ requested a trade, and was released soon after. The Browns went 8-9 in 2021. In the offseason, the Browns dropped a thermonuclear warhead on everything that they had build over the past few years, trading for star quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texas. This angered Baker, who requested a trade and was sent to the Carolina Panthers. The trade for Deshaun was incredibly controversial. While he was, on paper at least, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, he had a whole barrage of off the field legal issues going on that caused him to receive an 11 game suspension for the 2022 season. Watson debuted against his old team, the Texans, in Week 13, which the Browns won, but he looked incredibly rusty. The Browns finished 2022 going 7-10. The 2023 season could be described as the return of the Kardiac Kids. Despite starting five different quarterbacks after Deshaun suffered a season ending injury in Baltimore, the Browns went 11-6 partially due to a reborn defense that was one of the best in the NFL. The season mostly looked like this. The defense would keep it close all game, before the offense found the wildest ways to pull out the win in the fourth quarter. The first instance of this was in Week 6 vs the then unbeaten 49ers. In a low scoring defensive slugfest, 49ers kicker Jake Moody missed the game winning field goal to give the Browns a 16-15 win. The Browns also rallied from a double digit second half deficit in Baltimore against the top flight Ravens defense. There were a couple more games like this. The most surprising part of the season was the run made by Joe Flacco, who was 38 and unsigned for the whole season before the Browns signed him on an emergency basis before Week 13. Flacco proceed to go on a magical run where he threw for a massive amount of yards, having nothing to lose at his age. Unfortunately, the magic ended in the Wild Card round, as the Browns lost to the Texans 45-14. To say the 2024 season was a disaster would be an understatement of the year. Deshaun returned from his injury, and looking so absolutely awful that he was receiving vicious boos from the home fans at all times before he tore his achilles vs the Bengals in Week 7. The Browns finished 2024 going 3-14, with one of the most pathetic and absymal offenses the NFL had ever seen. The Browns tried to make some changes in 2025, drafting defensive tackle Mason Graham, linebacker Carson Schwesinger, running back Quinshon Judkins, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and two quarterbacks in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Joe Flacco was also resigned for the season, and started the year as the starter. Unfortunately, not much changed offensively. Flacco was benched for Dillon Gabriel after a Week 4 loss to the Lions and traded away after Gabriel's first start vs the Vikings in London. The offense was just as bad and unproductive with Dillon Gabriel at the helm. At halftime of Week 11 vs the Ravens, Gabriel suffered a concussion, leading Shedeur Sanders to enter the game and become the starter for the rest of the season. While things didnt dramatically improve offensively with Shedeur playing, things at least looked sort of more fun to watch. Shedeur played with the same kind of "aura" that Baker had in his early years. The Browns finished 2025 going 5-12, although Myles Garrett did break the single season sack record. Coach Stefanski was fired about the season. In his place, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken was hired. He is currently navigating through a minefield, trying to sort so many things out. He, along with general manager Andrew Berry, have been working to rebuild the offensive line, while also getting ready for the NFL Draft. Monken will also have to figure out what he wants to do at quarterback in 2026.
Deshaun Watson
2023 Browns
Flacco
Dillon Gabriel
Shedeur Sanders
Myles Garrett celebrating after breaking the sack record in the 2025 finale