The Cleveland Browns broke one of the longest losing streaks in the sport with a 21-17 victory over the New York Jets on Thursday night.

With rookie quarterback and number one draft pick Baker Mayfield playing a starring role, stars of the NFL past and present hailed the end to a run which had last seen the Browns taste victory 635 days and 19 games ago.

Troy Aikman, three times a Super Bowl winner with the Dallas Cowboys, found the Browns fans in celebratory mood.

After of course willing Cleveland not to mess it up.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle and Super Bowl winner Lane Johnson also praised Mayfield's efforts.

Parramatta back Jarryd Hayne, who also played in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers before returning to the NRL, predicted not much would get done in the Ohio city on Friday.

The Browns went into the game with Mayfield on debut and not having tasted victory since they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 20-17 on Christmas Eve 2016 in what was then their first victory in a year.

The Browns had blown their chance of a win against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday when they lost 21-18 after leading 12-3 in the third quarter.

But Mayfield ensured there was no repeat as he made his regular season debut in the second quarter as a replacement for Tyrod Taylor, who was forced to leave the field for a concussion check after being sacked four times.

The Browns trailed by two touchdowns at the time but Mayfield led four scoring drives, making 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards gained as running back Carlos Hyde scored two touchdowns in the second quarter on the way to the win.