The Cleveland Browns are no strangers to drama. This offseason has been filled with storylines as the Deshaun Watson re-tore his Achilles tendon in January and the following months were spent finding his replacement. The arrivals of Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco came before the Browns made a controversial trade and selected Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the NFL Draft and way before the pain that comes with being a Browns fan sets in next fall.
But what if you added the Pittsburgh Steelers to the mix? Well, then you would have quite the story to tell.
The Browns and Steelers rivalry spilled onto the free agent market when they officially swapped players earlier this week and a mistake by Cleveland’s social media team may have been a shot to their division rival as they get to renew their acquaintances in 2025.
Browns Call Steelers a Dumpster Fire in Social Media Post
The Browns and the rest of the NFL revealed their 2025 schedule on Sunday night. Like every team, the Browns had their creative way of making the announcement on social media, comparing each team to a no-context meme. While actual Dolphins, the Soprano family, and Peter Griffin made appearances, Cleveland pulled no punches when they got to the Steelers with a dumpster fire cruising across flood waters.
The post was supposed to be a playful shot to a rival, but has added context with what happened over the past week. The Steelers and Browns swapped starting safeties in a pair of free-agent moves as Juan Thornhill signed with Pittsburgh after he was released last March. The vacancy in Cleveland remained open until Damontae Kazee signed with the Browns this week, prompting Thornhill to call it “personal” on social media.
It’s another layer in a rivalry that already has plenty of intrigue. Neither team knows who its starter for Week 1 will be as the Browns will have four quarterbacks battle in camp and the Steelers are still waiting for an answer from Aaron Rodgers. Both teams also could be playing for jobs next year as Mike Tomlin’s run of 8-to-9-win seasons could come to an end, and the Browns are coming off a 3-14 campaign.
This is another storyline that the Browns probably didn’t need to worry about. But their social media team has already sent a message as the 2025 season approaches.