The Browns have been cursed at quarterback for more than 20 years. Cleveland has had good teams, but has not had the luxury of having a consistently good starting quarterback during this century.
The Browns have only won one playoff game since 1999. It seems that no matter what Cleveland does, whether it trades draft picks for an established quarterback, uses their own first round pick on a player or signs them in free agency, they can't seem to find their quarterback.
When it comes to the draft, none are more important than the first-round pick. Yes, finding a star later can be huge, but you really don't want to squander your first round pick. A team's first pick sets the tone for the draft and the short-term future of the team. When that pick is a bust, especially at quarterback, it can extend a team's rebuild and keep them further from contention.
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Here is a history of the quarterbacks that the Browns have used a first round pick on since 1999.
Browns QB Draft History
Here's a look back at the quarterbacks the Browns have drafted in the first round since they were reinstated as an NFL franchise in Cleveland in 1999.
| Year | Player | Pick |
| 1999 | Tim Couch | 1 |
| 2007 | Brady Quinn | 22 |
| 2012 | Brandon Weeden | 22 |
| 2014 | Johnny Manziel | 22 |
| 2018 | Baker Mayfield | 1 |
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Tim Couch
Couch went to the University of Kentucky from 1996-1998. Rather than going with Donovan McNabb, the Browns chose to take Couch with the first overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. He took over as the starting quarterback in his second game as a rookie but only spent five seasons in the NFL. Couch never had a 300-yard passing game and had an injury-riddled career, playing in only 62 games.
He led the Browns to a 9-7 record in 2002 and a playoff berth but broke his leg in the regular season finale, so missed the postseason. Couch only played in 10 games in 2003, which was his final season in the league. He finished his tenure with the Browns ranking sixth in passing yardage, ninth in touchdowns and ninth in wins in franchise history.
Brady Quinn
Quinn played at Notre Dame from 2003-2006. He won the Maxwell Award, which is similar to the Heisman, and goes to the best overall player, but is voted on by a different group. Quinn fell to No. 22 in the 2007 NFL Draft, beginning a bad stretch of the 22nd overall pick and the Browns using the choice on a quarterback who doesn't pan out.
He only played for the Browns for three seasons and was traded to the Broncos ahead of the 2010 season. He only played in one game during his rookie season, sitting behind Derek Anderson. Quinn started only three games in his second season and nine in 2009. All told, during his Browns tenure, Quinn started 12 of the 14 games he played and threw for 1,902 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
He never caught on in the league, only playing in eight more games in 2012 when he was with Kansas City. Quinn finished his career splitting time with the Jets and Rams in 2013 and has now gotten into broadcasting.
Brandon Weeden
Weeden was an interesting prospect. He tried playing professional baseball from 2002 to 2006. When that didn't pan out, Weeden went to college at Oklahoma State and played for the Cowboys from 2008-2011. Cleveland took him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Weeden was 28 years old at the time, becoming the oldest player to ever be chosen in the first round of an NFL Draft.
He was named the starter in 2012 and Cleveland finished with a 5-11 record. Weeden was the starter in 2013, but an injury and poor play limited him to only eight games and five starts. He was released following the 2013 season and spent the next five years as a backup quarterback.
Johnny Manziel
Johnny Football had a prolific career at Texas A&M. He was the first player to ever win the Heisman Trophy as a freshman and broke numerous SEC and FBS records during his time with the Aggies, but there was concern over his size not translating well to the NFL as well as his off-the-field antics. When Cleveland took him 22nd overall, Manziel became the shortest quarterback ever taken in the first round, which he held until Kyler Murray was drafted by the Cardinals in 2019.
He played in five games as a rookie, starting two. Manziel played in 10 games in 2015 and started six of them. He was set to start more, but a video came out of him partying during the team's bye week and he was benched. After repeatedly violating team rules, Manziel was released after two years with the team. He never played in the NFL again, and one of the most promising college football players ever finished with 1,675 passing yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in his career.
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Baker Mayfield
Mayfield played for Oklahoma from 2014-2017. He won the Heisman Trophy in his final season and was selected by the Browns with the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Mayfield spent four seasons with Cleveland, but three of them were forgettable. He was still trying to find his way in the NFL and finished with an 18-25 combined record from 2018, 2019 and 2021. In 2020, Mayfield and the Browns finished with an 11-5 record and made the playoffs for the first time since Couch in 2002. Mayfield helped Cleveland pick up a huge playoff win against Pittsburgh in the Wild Card round but lost to Kansas City in the Divisional round. It was the Browns' first playoff win since 1994, and they haven't won in the postseason since.
After going 6-8 in 2021 with Cleveland, the franchise traded for Deshaun Watson from the Texans. After the Browns gave him a massive contract extension, Mayfield requested a trade and was sent to the Panthers. It took some time, but he finally found his footing with Tampa Bay.