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Cleveland Browns extend general manager Andrew Berry, head coach Kevin Stefanski contracts
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- Cleveland Browns extend general manager Andrew Berry, head coach Kevin Stefanski contracts
BEREA — It may have taken longer than some expected , but general manager Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski have received contract extensions from the Cleveland Browns .
Exact terms of the extensions were not immediately divulged.
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"We are incredibly fortunate to have Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry leading the Cleveland Browns," owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. "Since the day they were hired, each has worked tirelessly to help the Cleveland Browns win. We are proud of what they and the team have achieved, but Kevin and Andrew would be the first to say that Browns fans deserve even more. Their leadership, collaborative approach, and ability to overcome obstacles bode well for the future of this franchise.
"Last season was a prime example. Despite facing multiple player injuries and using five different starting quarterbacks, Andrew and his staff built a roster that adapted well, while Kevin and his staff led the team to its second playoff appearance in four years, earning Coach of the Year honors for the second time in that period. They are two of the brightest people we know, and selfless people who only care about what is best for the Cleveland Browns. We are thrilled that Kevin and Andrew will remain with the team for the future."
The extensions have been in the works for some time. The Haslams indicated at the NFL Owners Meetings that the new contracts were close, with Jimmy Haslam saying at the time, "We're in the process of working through things so that Kevin and Andrew would be with us for an extended period of time."
That period of time turned out to be a little more than two months later.
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"Obviously, you have conversations with ownership after every season," Stefanski said Wednesday. "Sitting down with Jimmy and sitting down with (executive vice president) JW (Johnson), and obviously to entrust myself and Andrew, that their family has given us that trust to be here is a big deal. … I mean, they've been ultra supportive of us in a football way and in a personal way. They've been great to our family, so really excited to continue to partner with Andrew and we have work to do."
The two will enter their fifth season together. It's the first time the Browns have had the same pairing in the general manager and head coach roles for that length of time since Peter Hadhazy was the general manager and Sam Rutigliano was the coach from 1978-84.
It's also the first time a general manager and a head coach have received contract extensions from the team since 2008. Then-owner Randy Lerner extended general manager Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel that year, only to fire both after the team went 4-12 that season.
Andrew Berry is the Browns' longest-tenured GM of expansion era
Berry is now the longest-tenured Browns general manager of the expansion era, and longest since Ernie Accorsi held the position from 1985-91. Stefanski will be the first coach to get a fifth season with the team since Bill Belichick from 1991-95.
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Stefanski, who had spent the previous 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings , was the first one hired, signing a five-year contract with the team on Jan. 13, 2020. Berry, who had spent the 2019 season with the Philadelphia Eagles after three seasons in Cleveland, signed his original deal on Jan. 27, 2020.
"I think for Andrew and I, it's a partnership where we're going to, we take our jobs seriously," Stefanski said. "We understand the jobs we have in this town. We understand our fans and what they want this team to be, so we're just going to focus on working every waking minute to get this thing where we want it. But I just come back to this. For the organization to trust Andrew and I speaks to what we've been able to do, but we have plenty of work to do. There's fortunately for us, we've got some great people in this building, coaches, players, staff, so we'll just continue to work."
The Browns have gone, regular season and playoffs combined, 38-32 since the two were hired. That includes last season's 11-6 regular season and AFC wild card loss to the Houston Texans , a season for which Stefanski was honored with his second NFL Coach of the Year award by the Associated Press.
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Two of the Browns' three playoff appearances since returning to the league in 1999 have come under their watch. They've also produced two of the team's four winning seasons in that span.
"I mean, we have work to do," Stefanski said. "Until you've got that final one (a Super Bowl win) checked off, you haven't done it. And that's for us, as you know, there's one goal for every football team, every franchise, and that's where we will keep our sights. Obviously in between you try to win some ball games and do right by the community and those type of things, but we and all 32 clubs, we have one thing in mind."
Deshaun Watson trade will define the Stefanski/Berry era for Browns
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson talks with head coach Kevin Stefanski during a workout, Wednesday, June 8, 2022 in Berea.
What may ultimately define the duo's tenure, however, remains how the trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson turns out. That trade, made March 18, 2022, was a massive swing for the fences to try to land the elite-level quarterback the franchise has essentially lacked in the expansion era.
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The Browns sent first-round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024, a 2022 third-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Houston Texans. In exchange, they received Watson and a 2024 sixth-round pick.
Watson arrived in Cleveland dealing with a significant number of allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct during massage appointments — a number that grew to more than two dozen — that followed him from Houston. That led to a negotiated 11-game suspension to open the 2022 season.
Since returning from that suspension, Watson has started just 12 games over two seasons for the Browns. He finished the final six games of the 2022 season, then was limited last season to six starts by two shoulder injuries, including a season-ending broken glenoid.
Watson has been a participant in the Browns' offseason program, although in a limited basis. Because of the shoulder rehab, his throwing has been held to every other day and only in individual drills.
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This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski receive extensions from Browns
