Couch's college success culminated in his selection as the number one overall selection in the NFL draft by the
Cleveland Browns, who were returning to the NFL as an
expansion team in 1999 following the original team's
1996 relocation to Baltimore. Couch took over for
Ty Detmer as the team's starting quarterback in the second game of his rookie season. He spent five seasons as a starting quarterback for Cleveland, eventually facing competition from journeyman backup
Kelly Holcomb during his final two seasons. Couch's tenure in Cleveland ranged from leading the team to a playoff appearance, to boos and inconsistent play, which was partially a result of being constantly plagued by injuries. He managed only one 300-yard passing game in his professional career. He missed the final nine games of the 2000 season with a broken thumb. The high point of Couch's career came in 2002, when he threw for 2,842 yards and 18 touchdowns in leading the upstart Browns to a 9–7 record and a playoff appearance. However, he suffered a broken leg in the final game of the regular season and was forced to watch as Holcomb threw for over 400 yards in a loss to the
Pittsburgh Steelers in the
Wild Card round of the playoffs. This was the beginning of a quarterback controversy in Cleveland that would not be resolved until a year later when head coach
Butch Davis tapped Holcomb as his starter. Couch's 2003 season often included playing behind an offensive line hampered by injury. He was released by the Browns on June 10, 2004, after the team was unable to find a trade partner. Couch is considered by
Fox Sports to be one of the NFL's biggest draft busts in its history after being taken #1, immediately ahead of fellow quarterback
Donovan McNabb, only to falter through most of his career. However, Couch's career has been defended by former Browns offensive coordinator
Bruce Arians.
Notable moments and achievements Hail Mary passes Couch had several notable moments for the Browns, including two "Hail Mary" passes. In 1999 against the
New Orleans Saints, his last-second touchdown pass to
Kevin Johnson gave the Browns their first win. Three seasons later, in
Jacksonville he tossed a game-winning pass on the last play of the game to
Quincy Morgan.
2002 season Although the 2001 Browns had raised eyebrows with their defense, having recorded 43 sacks and a league-best 33 interceptions, the offense was once again moribund. The run game was pitiful and the offensive line was porous. At the start of the 2002 preseason, star linebacker
Jamir Miller went down with a career-ending Achilles tendon injury. However, the team, led by Couch, won 9 games, including five in the final two minutes and seven by 10 points or less, and made a wildcard playoff spot. Those thrillers included a 31–28 overtime win over
Tennessee in which Couch threw for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns, a last minute touchdown and two-point conversion passes from Couch to
Dennis Northcutt against the Jets, the "Hail Mary" against the Jaguars, and a final-minute drive against
Baltimore where Couch threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Mark Campbell after being pinned inside his own 5-yard line with 0 timeouts and 1:30 left in regulation.
Attempted comebacks After the Browns released Couch in 2004, he signed as a
free agent with the
Green Bay Packers. Couch went on to have a disappointing training camp. Couch struggled with a
rotator cuff injury, that would eventually require surgery, and was sidelined for the entire year. Couch was released by the Packers during their final cutdown to 53 players prior to the season. Couch filed a grievance with the
NFL Players Union against the Packers because they failed to attempt an injury settlement prior to his release. After undergoing shoulder surgery in February 2005, Couch auditioned for the
Chicago Bears midway through the 2005 season and the
Cincinnati Bengals in December 2005. The Bears observed that his arm was not back to NFL shape during their workout and did not sign him. The Bengals did not pursue Couch, although
Jon Kitna was not re-signed after his contract expired in early 2006. Couch participated in tryouts with the
Tennessee Titans in January 2006. He also had workouts with the
Miami Dolphins,
Pittsburgh Steelers, and the
Houston Texans. All three teams stated that despite good workouts, they were not interested in pursuing him. Couch ended up missing the entire 2006 season due to another shoulder surgery. ESPN reported on July 20, 2007, that Couch had contacted all 32 NFL teams to see if any teams were interested in him for the 2007–2008 season. On July 29, 2007, Couch agreed to a two-year contract with the
Jacksonville Jaguars. Couch was brought in to compete for the third-string quarterback position with
Quinn Gray and
Lester Ricard. He played in one preseason game against the
Miami Dolphins and was 2-of-4 for 11 yards. On August 18, Couch failed to make the third string and was released. The next week, the Jaguars released former starter
Byron Leftwich and Lester Ricard, leaving them without a third-string quarterback.
All-time Browns rankings As of the end of the 2022 NFL season, Couch's career passing ranking among other Cleveland Browns quarterbacks with at least 700 pass attempts. • Pass attempts - 6th • Pass completions - 5th • Completion percentage - 2nd • Yardage - 6th • Touchdowns - 9th • Interceptions - 7th • Wins - 9th ==Career statistics==