If you've been ardently following the Browns since their rebirth in 1999, first of all, my sincerest condolences. In all seriousness, the Dawg Pound has remained fiercely loyal to a franchise that has meandered through mediocrity and much, much worse over the last 27 years. One of many "what ifs" lost to the sands of time involves the quarterback-rich 2004 NFL Draft.
The Browns initially held the No. 7 overall selection, though they traded up one spot with the Detroit Lions and ended up taking Kellen Winslow II at No. 6. Even if Winslow II didn't play one of the least valuable positions and have a horrifying saga of off-the-field issues attached to his name, he would be hard-pressed to match the impact of a quarterback. The fact that likely future Hall of Famer and Ohio native Ben Roethlisberger was on the clock at the time certainly hurts.
A new wrinkle has emerged courtesy of Eli Manning that is certain to open up old wounds. In an appearance on the Bussin' With The Boys podcast, Manning revealed some bangers. One of the most shocking tidbits — that it was Eli, not his father Archie, who didn't wish to play for the (at the time) San Diego Chargers — included a Browns footnote that has slipped under the radar.
"Draft day was interesting," Manning said. "Obviously, I had a lot going on [with telling the] San Diego [Chargers] — who had the first pick — that [I] didn't quite want to go there. So, I remember like 15 minutes before the draft, it's the Saturday in New York, and [Manning's agent Tom Condon] is like 'Hey, I got good news and I got bad news. San Diego wants to make a trade. [That's] the good news. [The bad news] is that it's to Cleveland, and we're not going there either.'"
Eli Manning’s camp nixed an agreed-upon Browns trade on draft day
The Browns finished 5–11 in 2003. Winning their finale against the Cincinnati Bengals proved costly, as they dropped from what would've been the No. 4 overall selection (where the Giants took Philip Rivers) down to No. 7. What's more baffling is that 2003 represented the end of the Tim Couch era. How the Browns wound up starting Jeff Garcia, Kelly Holcomb, and Luke McCown in 2004 after a draft class that had Manning, Rivers, and Roethlisberger is a mystery only Scooby-Doo can solve.
In any case, it's clear the Browns at least explored the possibility of trading up for Manning. While the younger Manning has a more polarizing Hall of Fame case than his brother, it's clear he had a wildly successful NFL career. The two Super Bowl rings (with MVP honors) speak for themselves. There's something else that puts it into perspective.
From Week 11 of Manning's rookie season in 2004 all the way through Week 12 of 2017, Manning never missed a start. In that same timeframe, the Cleveland Browns started:
- Jeff Garcia
- Kelly Holcomb
- Luke McCown
- Trent Dilfer
- Charlie Frye
- Derek Anderson
- Brady Quinn
- Ken Dorsey
- Bruce Gradkowski
- Jake Delhomme
- Seneca Wallace
- Colt McCoy
- Brandon Weeden
- Thad Lewis
- Jason Campbell
- Brian Hoyer
- Johnny Manziel
- Connor Shaw
- Josh McCown
- Austin Davis
- Robert Griffin III
- Cody Kessler
- DeShone Kizer
- Kevin Hogan
That's 24 different starting quarterbacks.
If you thought strolling down memory lane was supposed to be fun, think again. While it's all water under the bridge more than two decades later, Browns fans may not be able to help but wonder what could've been if Manning had given Cleveland a chance. The city is deserving of a winning team, incompetent ownership notwithstanding.
It's only a matter of time before the Browns get things turned around. For the first time in a long time, the arrow appears to be pointed up, with a general manager who knows what he's doing at the controls. There's a realistic chance that another Manning, Eli's nephew Arch, is a Cleveland Brown come next season. What the football gods robbed from Cleveland in 2004, they just might make right in 2027.
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