The Cleveland Browns went 1-15 last season for the worst record in the NFL, finishing 31st out of 32 teams in points scored and 30th in points allowed.
Still, if you squint you might be able to convince yourself they have a bright future. They have a respected coach in Hue Jackson and some multi-time Pro Bowlers like Joe Thomas and Joe Haden. Most importantly, they’ve got the top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, with several potential stars on the board.
If you’re at all nodding along and thinking, “Yeah, maybe they do have a bright future,” you’re part of a long lineage of optimists. Since the Browns returned to Cleveland in 1999, someone has suggested almost every single year that the team had a bright future, only to be proven incorrect season after season.
Here’s the offending “bright future” comment, along with the team’s record the following season.
Before the 1999 season, the future was bright
“The new Cleveland Browns have done a masterful job of building the foundation for a bright future.”
– Pro Football Weekly headline, Aug. 10, 1999
Record the following season: 2-14
Before the 2005 season, the future was bright
“It’s going to get turned around now. You’re on the right track.”
– Jim Brown (via the Erie Times-News), Dec. 6, 2004
Record the following season: 6-10
During the 2006 season, the future was bright
“They’ve already proven to me that the foundation of this team is pretty strong. You’ve got a young quarterback [Charlie Frye] who can be a playmaker, and who has the trust of his teammates. You got a tight end [Kellen Winslow Jr.] who has backed up all his talk, and is clearly going to be a premier player in this league. And you have a defense that has lots of young talent, but is already pretty tough to play. So, yeah, I like where the Browns are going.”
– Sean Salisbury, via The Plain Dealer, Oct. 16, 2006
Record that season: 4-12
Going into 2007… no one really thought the future was bright
We legitimately couldn’t find any “future is bright” sentiments before the 2007 season, which is funny because…
Record the following season: 10-6
Before the 2008 season, the future was ‘finally’ bright
“With foundation in place, Savage sees bright future”
– Columbus Dispatch headline, Jan. 5, 2008
“Future finally bright for Browns”
– The Lantern (Ohio State) headline, Jan. 10, 2008
Record the following season: 4-12
Looking ahead to the 2009 season, Brady Quinn was the answer
“The Browns’ future looks bright with Brady Quinn.”
– Butch Maier, The Plain Dealer, Nov. 7, 2008
Record the following season: 5-11
Entering 2010 the future was, you guessed it… bright
WOW! Listening to Holmgrens presser and I now know why the Browns hired him! Bright bright future ahead for the Browny faithful!
— DC Browns Backers (@DCBrownsBackers) January 6, 2010
Record the following season: 5-11
The future was very bright heading into the 2011 season
Sure, the play-calling/clock management in OT was pretty bad. But the negativity today is ridiculous. Browns have such a bright future
— Jordan Zirm (@JordanZirm) November 14, 2010
@goblue_allin browns future very bright! hillis, mccoy, cribbs, thomas, hadon! push for playoff spot next season! book it!
— Jay Crawford (@JaycrawfordCLE) December 3, 2010
#Browns coach Eric Mangini said the organization has a bright future and "I'm excited to be a part of that.''#nfl
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) December 31, 2010
https://twitter.com/brendanleister/status/113266056272953345
Record the following season: 4-12
The future looked even brighter heading into 2012
https://twitter.com/brendanleister/status/213120461289160705
https://twitter.com/nflvr/status/230667438088413184
Browns might have a bright future but Weeden might not be the answer.
— Cody Elias (@Cody_Elias) August 6, 2012
https://twitter.com/brendanleister/status/237975242507689985
Hoping the Browns stay competitive today as the future should be bright. And we are still not the Bengals
— Brandon Hannahs (@brandonhannahs) September 9, 2012
Even though the Browns lost I can finally say I see a bright future. QB's arm is strong and running game is good. Gonna take time though.
— Eric Dean Seaton (@EricDeanSeaton) September 16, 2012
#Browns Holmgren said he thinks Weeden can be the Browns' quarterback of the future. 'I think orgz has a bright future cuz it's found QB''
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 23, 2012
Record the following season: 5-11
The future was bright with Brandon Weeden looking ahead to 2013
CBS NFL analyst Phil Simms joined @BullandFox and talked #Browns & the bright future…and Mike Lombardi as well http://t.co/xUFte8QM
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) December 6, 2012
Record the following season: 4-12
That bright future still laid ahead in 2014
“Future looks bright for Cleveland Browns, Josh Gordon”
– Bleacher Report headline, Dec. 1, 2013
@TonyE7 I thought rooting for the Lions was brutal. Browns have a decent foundation and a lot of high picks next year. Future looks bright
— Bret Green (@bretjgreen) December 15, 2013
I don't know if I should be sad about a Browns loss or happy about a higher draft position. The future is looking bright in Cleveland
— Brandon Pope TV (@BpopeTV) December 23, 2013
Record the following season: 7-9
The future STILL felt bright going into 2015
It takes time to turn the corner and learn how to handle success. The #Browns have a bright future. Today shows they aren’t there yet.
— Dustin Fox (@DustinFox37) October 19, 2014
#Browns Andrew Hawkins and TE Gary Barnidge agree that future is bright with Manziel. GB:"He has a great chance to be one of the great QBs''
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 24, 2015
“And when asked if the future is bright for the Browns at quarterback with Manziel, he said, ‘I definitely think so.'”
– Cleveland.com, Sept. 24, 2015
Record the following season: 3-13
Yep, the future was bright entering 2016
There is nothing more important in sports than QB, & the Browns can draft the best one in 2016. Hue & best QB will make the future bright…
— Stoics of The Land (@BrownsStoics216) February 27, 2016
Record the following season: 1-15
After all that, they still haven’t learned entering 2017
https://twitter.com/downwithdamon/status/808425076190085120
“Browns have reason to believe future is bright”
– Fan Rag Sports headline, Dec. 1, 2016
“I think the track that we’re on, the trajectory, is a good one, starting with keeping the staff in place, keeping the management team in place,” Thomas said. “I think the stated goal this offseason is to start bringing in some free agents, resign some of our really quality young players, [and] obviously everybody knows about the number of draft picks we have.
“The path we’re on is great. We’ve got the right head coach. We’ve got the right management team. So I think definitely things are looking up for the Cleveland Browns.”
– Joe Thomas, via ESPN, Jan. 2, 2017
