1999 Cleveland Browns season

The 1999 Cleveland Browns season was the Browns 51st season overall and 47th in the NFL. It marked the return of professional football to the city of Cleveland, Ohio for the first time since the 1995 season, when the franchise was temporarily deactivated following the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy, which ultimately established the Baltimore Ravens. While technically an expansion team, the team officially and legally are considered a continuation of the previous franchise, as the history and colors of the team remained in Cleveland. The franchise was still alive as a legal entity between 1996 and 1998, and its assets kept in a trust managed by the NFL until Al Lerner became the owner in 1998, taking over the role from the previous owner, Art Modell, who first initiated the relocation in the first place, to the outrage of the citizens in the city of Cleveland.

That season the Browns were given full expansion team treatment via an expansion draft and receiving the number one overall draft pick of the 1999 NFL draft, which they used to select Kentucky Wildcatsquarterback and the 1998Quarterback of the YearTim Couch after he set the Southeastern Conference record for single-season passing yards, and he became the franchise's first draft pick following their reactivation as an expansion team. Couch would throw for over 11,000 passing yards and help the Browns qualify for the postseason in 2002, but his career would be cut short by injuries. Following attempted comebacks with the Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars, he would retire after failing to make the final roster for either team. Although Couch would be unable to duplicate his college success, he would be the first quarterback to lead the Browns to the playoffs since their NFL return and the only to do so between 2002 and 2019. He would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2024. Ever since then, Couch is considered by Fox Sports and other analysts to be one of the NFL's biggest draft busts in its history after being taken at number 1 overall, immediately ahead of fellow quarterback Donovan McNabb, only to falter throughout most of his career. However, Couch's career has been defended by former Browns offensive coordinatorBruce Arians.

The Browns' offense and defense both finished in the bottom of the league. The Browns scored 217 points and gained 3,762 yards of total offense, both last in the NFL. The Browns allowed 437 points and gave up 6,046 yards, ranking 29th and 31st, respectively.