Andrew Berry has survived the Deshaun Watson trade and, thus far, avoided many rumors about being on the hot seat in Cleveland. But the longtime Browns GM probably should not be considered a lock to return in 2026, given the state of the team since its 2023 playoff season.
The Browns are 7-26 over the past two seasons, naturally leading to rumblings about Kevin Stefanski being on the hot seat. Berry’s seat may not be as warm, despite Stefanski’s two Coach of the Year honors. The Browns, however, have been meeting with some experienced GMs.
Chris Grier and Tom Telesco have spoken with the team, according to The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson. It is not uncommon, as Anderson notes, for teams to hold discussions with available front office execs at this point on the calendar. Neither Grier nor Telesco are presently employed by a team, leaving both eligible to discuss potential roles with the Browns.
This could be about coming on in a role under Berry, as Anderson notes these meetings are being classified as exploratory about potentially adding senior voices in the building. Adding one or both of these staffers could be a half-measure for the struggling team, as Telesco and Berry have more than 20 combined years on the GM job.
Both execs were ousted in 2025. Telesco received his Raiders pink slip after just one year on the job. That brought a historically quick trigger for a GM, but new minority owner Tom Brady eyed alignment rather than sticking Antonio Pierce‘s successor (Pete Carroll) with a holdover GM. Ex-Brady college teammate John Spytek, later a Buccaneers exec when the legendary quarterback finished his career in Tampa, landed the job. Telesco has nearly 12 years’ experience as a GM, holding that role for the Chargers from 2013-23 and then last year with the Raiders.
The Dolphins and Grier came to a disagreement after the team’s 1-7 start. Unlike Telesco, a host of hot-seat rumors followed Grier before his October exit. In place as the Dolphins’ GM from 2016-25, Grier did not receive full autonomy in the role until football ops president Mike Tannenbaum’s exit before the 2019 offseason. Grier’s Dolphins undoing came as the team’s direction trended south during this decade’s midpoint. The embattled GM was believed to be eyeing seller’s trades on the level that conflicted with ownership’s views. The Dolphins removed Grier from the GM role but kept Mike McDaniel, who is not certain to return in 2026.
Berry’s second Browns stint began in 2020, being hired along with Stefanski that offseason. This has been by far the most stable partnership during Jimmy Haslam‘s tumultuous ownership tenure — one that included numerous HC and GM firings before 2020. Although Berry will always be tied to the Watson debacle, he has been in place for two Browns playoff berths — after the team combined for one from 1999-2019 — and received an extension during the 2024 offseason.
The Telesco meeting would seemingly point to a role under Berry. The two worked together with the Colts from 2009-12. Berry was breaking into the scouting ranks at that point, while Telesco was further along, sitting as Indianapolis’ director of player personnel and then VP of football ops before taking the Chargers’ GM job. Telesco, 53, has been at Sirius XM Radio this season. Berry and Grier, 55, have never worked together; Grier spent 25 years with the Dolphins.