Oct 27, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans cornerback Jason McCourty (30) takes the field prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Former Titans Player Reveals Wild Browns Story

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Jan 29, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Jason McCourty spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans, but his first year beyond that was with the Cleveland Browns, where he went 0-16.

The winless season was far from McCourty's fault as the organization itself had numerous dysfunctional parts.

McCourty shared a story on ESPN's "This Is Football" with Kevin Clark during his year with the Browns that can only be described as shocking.

"The team accidentally sent out an alert to all players that they were planning on cutting a guy. Another player had to go find the guy in the weight room to break it to him," Clark tweeted.

I asked @JasonMcCourty the worst moment of the 2017 0-16 Browns. There are lots but he settled on one:

The team accidentally sent out an alert to all players that they were planning on cutting a guy. Another player had to go find the guy in the weight room to break it to him. pic.twitter.com/5FLDL2J9os
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) January 28, 2025

McCourty described this blip in communication as a "microcosm" of how that season went.

The Browns became just the second team to go winless in a 16-game season, joining the 2008 Detroit Lions in that cloud of infamy.

Perhaps McCourty's biggest highlight of that year was the fact that he scored the only touchdown of his 13-year career during that season in a game against the Houston Texans.

After that season, the Browns got the No. 1 overall pick, which they used to select Baker Mayfield, one year after they had taken Myles Garrett with the top selection.

Now, the Browns find themselves back at the top of the draft, picking No. 2 in April behind only the Titans, who have the No. 1 overall selection for the first time since the franchise was the Houston Oilers back in 1978 when they chose legendary running back Earl Campbell.

McCourty was able to get the last laugh, leaving the Browns after 2017 to join his twin brother Devin with the New England Patriots, where he went from zero to hero in one year, winning Super Bowl LIII.

This article first appeared on Tennessee Titans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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