NFL stadium that opened in 1999 will be shut down in 2029 having hosted zero playoff games to date

Perhaps the Cleveland Browns’ new stadium will be the good omen that they need to get over the hump.

The Browns began construction on a new $2.6 billion stadium back in October 2025, after years of initial planning and mulling over whether to just renovate Huntington Bank Field instead.

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The state-of-the-art facility will be housed in the Brook Park suburbs, approximately 16 miles southwest of their current downtown home situated on the shores of Lake Erie.

Fans were shown a brand new look at the 4,000 square-foot stadium earlier in August via a new interactive experience in the form of a 21-foot-wide room called the ‘Immersive Cube’.

Should the proposed construction timeline remain on track, it is set to open in 2029 – 30 years after their current home was open for the first time.

In those near three decades, success has been very difficult to come by for the Browns, having made the playoffs on just three occasions – in 2002, 2020, and 2023.

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All three times, though, the Browns have been on the road meaning that Huntington Bank Field has never hosted an NFL postseason game in its history.

Many quarterbacks have tried – and failed – to lead Cleveland to a playoff victory, including Case Keenum and Joe Flacco, both of whom have playoff wins elsewhere, as well as Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston.

In fact the only quarterback since 1999 to record a postseason win was former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield, who has since moved around the league and found a home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he has revitalized his career.

With the Browns entering the 2026 season coming off a year in which they won just five games, this may be a trend that continues through to 2029 when they make the switch to their new home.

They do, however, still have $230 million Deshaun Watson on the roster, who has recorded playoff wins with the Houston Texans, as well as Shedeur Sanders, who is looking to be named Todd Monken’s QB1 this season, and put Watson’s place on the Browns roster at risk.

Watson may have decided his own fate

In the Browns’ 31-7 defeat to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, both quarterbacks took to the field, with Sanders starting under center.

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He completed nine of his 11 pass attempts for 74 yards and a touchdown, but also fired an interception.

When Watson stepped out onto the field for the first time since tearing his right Achilles tendon, he was met with the sound of boos from his own team’s supporters.

This likely had more to do with his off-field issues rather than his poor form and injury record since his blockbuster trade to the organization in 2022.

“I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said. “It’s a little bit [more] personal than that.

“So, I think it’s a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And yeah, just move on. …

“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fanbase, they cheered when I got hurt,” Watson said. “So, what does that have to do with anything about performance?

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“When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city and they cheer?”

Watson completed just five of his 12 pass attempts for 36 yards and an interception, finishing the game with a rating of just 14.6.

The Browns have one more preseason game to come, against the New England Patriots, for Monken to make the decision over who will be his QB1 for Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 13.