After six seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kevin Stefanski is now searching for his next job.
On Monday, the Browns announced they were moving on from Stefanski. Finishing their season with a 20-18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the Browns finished 2025-26 with a 5-12 record.
The veteran head coach went 45-56 in his tenure with the Browns. He reached the playoffs in two of those seasons, going 1-2 in three games.
Despite the lack of success over the last few seasons, it feels like the Browns are making a move to make a move. This is a franchise that has been stuck at the bottom of the league for decades, largely due to decisions such as this one.
Is Stefanski the best coach in the league? Probably not.
The truth remains, however, that since restarting the franchise in 1999, Stefanski has been the only successful coach to lead the team. He has two of the team’s four winning seasons in that stretch and the only playoff victory.
The glaring issue
Without a quarterback, no coach in the NFL can sustain success.
Mike Tomlin dragging a new quarterback to a winning record is an anomaly and certainly not a league standard.
Stefanski had Baker Mayfield in Cleveland before the organization made the choice to trade for Deshaun Watson. That move set the team back another decade, despite Stefanski dragging the team to the postseason once again, this time with Joe Flacco.
This season leaves the Browns in quarterback hell once again. They found some success late this season with Shedeur Sanders, but a stellar defense is the unit that deserves any and all praise.
Cleveland will enter next season with what is left of Watson, a second-year Sanders, and a second-year Dillion Gabriel. In summary, they are still without a QB.
Whoever takes the Browns job, which will be the least-coveted job in the current cycle, is going to be stuck in year one.
Moving on
I view what is happening with Stefanski as a similar case to Mike Vrabel’s exit from Tennessee.
The Titans moved off their head coach, who was their most successful leader in quite some time, just to shake things up. Vrabel took a season off before landing in New England, where he led the Patriots to a 14-3 record in his first season.
Drake Maye is a huge reason why. A legitimate franchise quarterback makes all the difference. Vrabel never had one in his time with the Titans, despite going 54-45, with three playoff appearances and a 2-3 record in postseason play.
I expect this to be a similar situation with Stefanski.
If he takes a job in this cycle, he could very easily turn a franchise around in his first season. The New York Giants job with Jackson Dart could be a great fit. Speaking of the Titans, Cam Ward looks to have some real tools at the quarterback position. Perhaps Tennessee can right a wrong from its past.
Either way, the Browns are making a mistake with this move.
Photo Credit: Dave Adamson
Matt Watson Media 
Leave a comment