We all saw the writing on the wall, and it was just a matter of time before the Cleveland Browns fired their head coach Kevin Stefanski. That time was today as the Browns fired their coach after six seasons and a day after finishing the season with a 5-12 record.
The General Manager of the Browns, Andrew Berry, who was also speculated as potentially losing his job, held onto his role and will now lead the search for a new Cleveland head coach.
Today in separate pressers, both Berry and the Browns owner Jimmy Haslam praised Stefanski for his years working with the team and wished him luck in the future.
For several months, many Browns fans had been hoping that Stefanski and Berry would be fired. The lack of talent drafted by Berry and picked up through free agency and trades through the years had many fans believing that both individuals were on the chopping block.
Stefanski did have two previous seasons (2020, 2023) where he led his team to the playoffs. He was also named coach of the year in the NFL in those same years.
He brought winning back to Cleveland, but he wasn’t consistent. After the 2020 season both the 2021 and 2022 seasons were struggles. Then the 2023 season happened and quarterback journeyman Joe Flacco helped save that season and Stefanski get back to the playoffs. However, Stefanski’s teams went 3-14 in the 2024 season and 5-12 this season.
Stefanski started his career in Cleveland in 2020 and recorded an overall 45-56 record as their head coach. He had been a lifetime assistant with the Minnesota Vikings going back to 2006. He was hired as their offensive coordinator in 2019. It was his only year in that role before becoming the Browns head coach the following year.. The 43-year-old Stefanski is now likely to look to get another head coaching job in the NFL as there are several other coaching vacancies.
The Browns will now start a search for a new head coach.
At the press conferences today with Berry and Haslam, they both talked about finding a new head coach that would fit into their system and process. While they talked about winning being important, Berry emphasized the process more in developing the team’s young talent.
This doesn’t suggest that this team’s leadership has visions of winning a Super Bowl anytime soon, which is disappointing for fans to hear.
The search will be interesting to see what head coaching candidates want to come to Cleveland, considering the mess that has occurred in previous seasons from the Deshaun Watson trade debacle to coming into this year with a quarterback carousal that was a three-ring circus at times.
The season ended with rookie Shedeur Sanders at quarterback. With seven starts to finish the campaign Berry wasn’t willing to commit to Sanders as their future quarterback either.
Berry suggested today that the Browns want to bring the new coach in to help with that assessment.
While the Browns have their struggles, they do have some things that are appealing to those coaches that are interested in the job.
Cleveland has a very good defense, returning most of their starters who are signed long-term. They have a lot of cap money space to go after some more high-profile free agents in the off season.
They also have a young core of rookies that helped lead this team in many categories for the Browns this season, including Carson Schwesinger at linebacker, Mason Graham on the defensive line, Quinshon Judkins at running back and Harold Fannin at tight end.
The post Stefanski fired by Browns after six years of inconsistency appeared first on NEO Sports Insiders.