Bits and pieces of the NFL’s 2026 schedule continue to leak out on social media, but nothing yet for the Cleveland Browns. That’s hardly a surprise, as the Browns didn’t even get a Thursday Night Football game last year.
The Browns did, however, get one of the NFL’s international games in 2025. We could know early Wednesday morning if Cleveland is heading overseas again — only this time to Paris.
Back in February, the Browns were rumored to be the New Orleans Saints’ Week 7 mystery opponent for their “home game” at Stade de France in Paris on Oct. 25. While the report was never confirmed by the NFL nor the team, it came from major French broadcaster RMC Sports. If true, the Browns would be part of the NFL’s first regular-season game in France.
The Browns also make sense as a potential London opponent for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will host games at Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Weeks 5 and 6 this season. Both the Jaguars and Saints are on the Browns’ list of 2026 road opponents.
Per the Saints’ social media team, Browns fans will get an answer to at least one of these questions on Wednesday morning at 9 EST:
Our Paris game will be announced this Wednesday at 8 am CT https://t.co/oVnEFFLlWo
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 11, 2026
Browns fans should want no part of the NFL’s first official game in Paris
Having your favorite team featured in one of the NFL’s international games seems harmless enough. An early-morning kickoff (the Paris game is set for 9:30 a.m.) makes for a fun change of pace, even for die-hard fans.
But is a trip to Paris to play the Saints really a good thing for the 2026 Browns and their fans?
Not having to play indoors at the raucous Caesars Superdome would be an obvious advantage for the Browns. It also helps that this would be an NFC opponent with minor implications to the AFC standings.
But the Saints are a team firmly in Cleveland’s weight class, and overall, the unknowns that come with a neutral-site game like this would likely favor New Orleans.
The Saints have the luxury of a more-established program. They won five of their final six games of the 2025 regular season, got their quarterback situation settled with Tyler Shough, and could take a major leap in Year 2 of Kellen Moore’s head-coaching tenure.
The Browns, meanwhile, will be featuring a lineup packed with rookies and second-year pros, along with a first-year head coach in Todd Monken. The Browns might not know who their starting quarterback will be until the end of training camp. Will they be ready to handle a 10-plus hour flight to Paris to face an unfamiliar NFC opponent in the Saints? That seems highly unlikely.
Browns fans should want no part of Paris this year. New Orleans is one of the NFL’s best travel destinations, and you could make the argument that a trip to the Superdome would actually be favorable compared to the Stade de France.
Thankfully, all the rumors will be answered one way or the other on Wednesday morning. That doesn’t mean Browns fans should be celebrating if it really happens.
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