National Football League Drafted in the thirteenth round of the
1972 NFL draft by
the Cleveland Browns, Sipe spent the first two years of his career as a member of the teamʼs reserve squad, seeing no action on the field. In
1974, Sipe started four games after helping the Browns come back from a 12-point deficit against
the Denver Broncos on October 27. However, after winning just one of these four contests (a 21–14 victory against
the New England Patriots on November 11), he was replaced by
Mike Phipps. The team's disastrous
1975 season saw Sipe enter the starting lineup after three consecutive losses in which the Browns were outscored 124–26. Sipe's three starts saw the Browns become more competitive, but still resulted in a trio of defeats, sending him back to the sidelines. The following year, he finally moved into a consistent starting role following an opening game injury to Phipps on September 12,
1976. As the team's signal caller that season, he led them to a 9–5 record, a six-game improvement over the previous season. 1976 was the team's second year under head coach
Forrest Gregg. During the first half of
the 1977 season, Sipe led the team to five wins in their first seven games. However, on November 13 of that year, Sipe suffered a season-ending shoulder injury at
Three Rivers Stadium against
the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second quarter of the team's 35–31 defeat. With Phipps gone to
the Chicago Bears, the Browns turned to back-up quarterback
Dave Mays, who went 1–3 as a starter. The 1977 season also saw a head coaching change as Gregg was fired and defensive coordinator
Dick Modzelewski took over for the final game. Sipe came back the following year to throw for more than 2,900 yards and 21 touchdown passes, but the team's overall inconsistency resulted in an 8–8 finish. Serving as the catalyst for many thrilling moments during the
1979 and
1980 seasons, Sipe helped the team earn the nickname "
Kardiac Kids." The designation was in recognition of their tendency to produce heart-stopping comeback victories in the final minutes of many games. Over the course of these two seasons, Sipe led the Browns to eight comebacks and eleven game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. Sipe led Cleveland to a 4–0 start in 1979, including a season opening overtime win over
the New York Jets.
1980 Most Valuable Player award season In
1980, Sipe passed for 4,132 yards and 30 touchdowns, helping to lead the Browns to their first postseason berth since
1972. Individually, his efforts earned him the
NFL Most Valuable Player award and a selection to the
1981 Pro Bowl. To this day, it is still the Browns single season passing yards record, as well as the only time a Browns quarterback threw for 4,000 yards in a season. At the end of the divisional playoff game the Browns played against the Raiders, the Browns trailed by a score of 14–12. After the Browns forced the Raiders to turn the ball over on downs on the Browns' 15-yard line, Sipe led the Browns back down the field, reaching the Raiders 13-yard line in 9 plays. With just 49 seconds remaining, the Browns could have kicked a game-winning field goal, but due to the brutally cold and windy weather in Cleveland that day, which made a field goal attempt significantly more risky than usual, Browns'
head coach Sam Rutigliano instead opted to pass the ball. Sipe attempted a pass to tight end
Ozzie Newsome, but it was intercepted in the end zone by Raiders safety
Mike Davis. That play brought the Browns' season to a heartbreaking close, while the Raiders went on to win
Super Bowl XV over the
Philadelphia Eagles. The play call - "
Red Right 88" – was immortalized in Cleveland sports infamy.
1981 and 1982 seasons Despite throwing for 3,876 yards
the following season, Sipeʼs Browns struggled to a 5–11 mark. In
1982, Sipe and the Browns won just two of the team's first six games in the strike-marred NFL season, and Sipe was benched in favor of third-year signal caller
Paul McDonald.
United States Football League Sipe regained his starting role
the following year, but angered Browns management by negotiating with
New Jersey Generals of the
United States Football League during the season. Sipe finished the 1983 season with 3,566 passing yards and 26 touchdown passes. Sipe had led Cleveland to a 9–7 record and the team just missed qualifying for the American Football Conference playoffs. He then signed with the Generals and played for them in 1984, before concluding his career with the
Jacksonville Bulls in 1985. Sipe's contract with the New Jersey was a three-year deal for $600,000 annually. ==Post-playing career==