Story by
Browns fire two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski
- Story by
- Browns fire two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski
The Cleveland Browns are firing Kevin Stefanski after a six-season stint as the team's head coach.
The Browns announced the decision Jan. 5 in a statement from Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam.
"We have tremendous gratitude for Kevin's leadership of the Cleveland Browns over the last six seasons," the statement read. "He is a good football coach and an even better person. We appreciate all his hard work and dedication to our organization but our results over the last two seasons have not been satisfactory, and we believe a change at the head coaching position is necessary. We wish Kevin, Michelle and the Stefanski family all the best in the future."
Advertisement
The Browns also announced they would be keeping general manager Andrew Berry on and that he would lead the search to find Stefanski's successor.
"The entirety of our focus is on building a team that brings our fans the success they long deserve, and we will continue to work relentlessly towards that goal and invest whatever resources necessary to build a winning football program," the Haslams said. "Andrew will immediately begin our thorough process to find an outstanding new head coach and leader of our football team. We have an exciting young core to build upon, and Andrew and his team are intent on adding talent to this core and building out a roster that can achieve sustainable success."
Stefanski's dismissal comes after the Browns posted a 5-12 record during the 2025 NFL season. Cleveland notched a 20-18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18, but it wasn't enough to earn Stefanski another season with the team.
Stefanski posted a record of 45-56 across his six seasons with the Browns but oversaw what was, inarguably, the team's most successful stretch of the 21st century.
Advertisement
Stefanski led the Browns to an 11-5 record in 2020, his first season with the team. Cleveland's five-win improvement earned Stefanski the NFL's Coach of the Year award while the Browns earned their first playoff win since 1994, a 48-37 wild-card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers .
Stefanski achieved similar results in 2023, leading the Browns to an 11-6 record despite the team starting five different quarterbacks. Joe Flacco enjoyed a resurgence under Stefanski's tutelage after being signed as a free agent near the end of the season, and that helped Stefanski once again earn the NFL's Coach of the Year award.
Despite those high points, the Browns decided to move on from Stefanski after he posted a combined record of 8-26 over his final two seasons with the team. The Browns ranked ahead of only the Las Vegas Raiders in points per game during the 2025 NFL season (16.4) and were dead-last in offensive EPA per play in 2025, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats .
Stefanski had largely been mum amid speculation about his future but was asked whether he wanted to continue coaching the Browns ahead of his team's Week 18 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals .
Advertisement
"As you can imagine, my sole focus is on this game versus Cincinnati," Stefanski told reporters . "But I would also tell you, I'm privileged to have this job."
Stefanski will no longer be in charge in Cleveland, but the 43-year-old may not be out of work long. NFL Media's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero noted in a Dec. 20 story Stefanski "would immediately become a top candidate elsewhere" if the Browns did not retain him.
As such, Stefanski will begin exploring his other options while the Browns face a key decision about how to replace him and whether the team's quarterback of the future is presently on the roster.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Browns fire head coach Kevin Stefanski
