When an NFL general manager and head coach make mistakes in player procurement, it sets the team back.
Grab Your Fleece on Amazon Now
When it’s done at the top of the NFL Draft or in the opening days of free agency, when all the big names come off the board, it sets the team back a lot more.
When it’s done at quarterback, it sets the team back a whole heckuva lot more.
And when it’s done at a historic level, it sets the team back light years.
So, it is with the Browns and General Manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski. That they checked that last box is why they are as close now to the nightmare of a decade ago, which featured that 0-17 season of 2017, as they have been since it occurred.
Still cant believe Baker Mayfield pulled off this play. pic.twitter.com/dmbQXy4Du9
— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) September 12, 2025
Let’s go back in time:
2018 — The Browns drafted quarterback Baker Mayfield No. 1 overall. He was inserted into the lineup in Week 3 and promptly led a team that, as mentioned, was winless the season before, to a 7-8-1 finish.
2020 — With Mayfield again being the catalyst, the Browns made the AFC playoffs for the first time in 18 years, gaining a wind-card berth. They rolled past the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in the wild-card round and nearly pulled off a big upset of the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round, their rally falling just short in a 22-17 loss.
2021 — The Browns took a step back, finishing 8-9, as Mayfield played through a torn left shoulder.
2022 — About 2-1/2 months after the 2021 season ended, the Browns made a colossal — and, as it turned out, horrific — trade with the Houston Texans, giving up their first-round draft choice in three consecutive years, 2022-24, to get quarterback Deshaun Watson, and subsequently parted ways with Mayfield. Watson has been a complete flop, being injured most of the time, including the start of this season, which is the last on his contract, and performing poorly in the limited occasions that he did play. The Browns had a losing record in 2022 and ‘24, making the playoffs in ‘23 when veteran Joe Flacco was signed off his couch and came on down the stretch to lead the Browns to the wild-card playoffs, where they were routed 45-14 by the Texans. Flacco was not re-signed for the 2024 season because the Browns did not want Watson looking over his shoulder. Flacco was brought back this season and is the starter for the team, which is 0-2 and has lost eight in a row going into Sunday’s game with the visiting Green Bay Packers as rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders wait in the wings. Mayfield, meanwhile, has gone on to star for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading them to the NFC playoffs the last two seasons.
Geeeesh! Man, Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski sure messed that up! Yes, they did.
So, what happens to them — with their job security — and the Browns going forward?
Answers coming next.
Steve King
READ NEXT: Huntington Bank Field and Stadium Overview
Recommended Gear
Note: We are compensated for purchases made through links on this website
