Browns bring in Journey for a concert before the start of the NFL draft
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns took a Journey to the first night of the NFL draft.
Article content
Article content
As if having a top-five pick didn't create enough interest, the Browns decided to reward their season ticket holders by bringing in Journey for a concert at Huntington Bank Field before the picks began.
Brent Rossi, the Browns' chief marketing officer, said the talks about doing something beyond the usual draft party began at the end of last season, when the Browns finished 3-14 and secured their 14th top-10 draft pick since returning in 1999.
Article content
Article content
In a third-party survey, the Browns found the top three rock bands by season ticket holders to be Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and Journey.
Article content
Since there's no hope for another Zeppelin reunion and the Stones played in Cleveland last year, the option ended up being Journey.
Article content
'When you have a chance to marry one of the NFL's tentpole events with a band like Journey, it was a no-brainer for us in something that we wanted to do for season ticket members, especially showing so much loyalty over the last decades and last year when the product on the field didn't live up to expectations,' Rossi said.
Article content
It's not the first time an NFL team has tried to bring in a big act for the draft. The Los Angeles Chargers had Snoop Dogg at SoFi Stadium in 2022 during the first round.
Article content
Season ticket holders received free tickets equaling the number of seats in their account. The Browns said final attendance was 25,081.
Article content
Fans were tailgating in the parking lots before the concert started.
Article content
Cleveland also had a first-round pick for the first time since 2021. They sent three first-round selections to Houston in the Deshaun Watson trade and signed him to a massive contract in what is on pace to become one of the worst trades in NFL history.
Article content
Article content
Journey came on at 6:45 p.m. and was expected to play for 90 minutes, finishing their set right before the Browns were supposed to go on the clock with the second-overall pick. Cleveland, however, made a trade with Jacksonville and moved down three spots to fifth along with adding picks in the second and fourth rounds and the Jaguars' first-round selection in 2026.
Article content
It took only three songs for the 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees to play what could be the theme tune for all the teams this weekend and a franchise that has had only four winning seasons since 1999 — 'Don't Stop Believing.'
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
30 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice's disciplinary hearing set for Sept. 30, AP source says
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice will have a disciplinary hearing with the NFL on Sept. 30 in New York, a person with knowledge of the schedule told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the details haven't been announced, said Sue L. Robinson is scheduled to hear Rice's case. Robinson is a former U.S. district judge who serves as the disciplinary officer jointly appointed by the NFL and NFL Players Association. It's the second time under the 2020 collective bargaining agreement that the league and the players' union haven't agreed on length of discipline, sending the case to Robinson. She presided over Deshaun Watson's case in 2022. Rice still has to serve a 30-day jail sentence in the future for causing a chain-reaction crash last year on a Dallas highway that left multiple people injured. He already agreed to pay more than $1 million in a settlement with the victims. Rice is returning from a knee injury that cut short his sophomore season in the NFL following a standout rookie campaign. He would be eligible to play the first four games, including a Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, before his hearing. ESPN was first to report the date of Rice's upcoming hearing. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. ____ AP NFL:
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, and most other Steelers stars will skip preseason meeting with Tampa Bay
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin is in no rush to see Aaron Rodgers in a game situation. The NFL's oldest player is going to sit out Pittsburgh's meeting with Tampa Bay, meaning the four-time MVP most likely won't make his official debut with the Steelers until the season opener against the New York Jets on Sept. 7.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, and most other Steelers stars will skip preseason meeting with Tampa Bay
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin is in no rush to see Aaron Rodgers in a game situation. The NFL's oldest player is going to sit out Pittsburgh's meeting with Tampa Bay, meaning the four-time MVP most likely won't make his official debut with the Steelers until the season opener against the New York Jets on Sept. 7. While Tomlin declined to officially rule out Rodgers for Pittsburgh's preseason finale with Carolina on Aug. 21, the NFL's longest tenured coach has rarely made starters available for the final exhibition game. Star outside linebacker T.J. Watt, wide receiver DK Metcalf, defensive back Jalen Ramsey and tight ends Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth also will sit out for a second straight week. Linebacker Patrick Queen and defensive end Cam Heyward — who is 'holding in' amid a contract dispute — also will get the day off. 'Some of those veteran guys I mentioned have been doing it for a long time and particularly at a high level,' Tomlin said. 'Coupled with the fact that I've liked what I've seen from them in a practice setting, is the reason why sometimes I move that collective out of the way.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. ___ AP NFL:
