In the midst of a disappointing 2017 season, Brown was fired as executive vice president of football operations on December 7, 2017, and hired John Dorsey as general manager the same day, making him the ninth general manager/head of personnel since the Browns' return in 1999, and the fifth in the Haslam ownership era. The Browns finished the 2017 season with an 0–16 record, becoming only the second team in league history to do so, and for the second straight season giving the team the #1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft (along with the #4 pick, which was previously acquired via trade from Houston). Despite the winless season and a 1–31 record as head coach of the Browns, Hue Jackson was retained by Haslam. With the first overall pick, the Browns selected former Oklahoma quarterback and 2017 Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield.