Cleveland had relative success and stability under Kevin Stefanski, but he is now out after six seasons.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was fired and will now have the opportunity to interview for other opening during this cycle. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For the first time since their rebirth in 2002, the Browns seemed to find stability at the head coaching position with Kevin Stefanski. He lasted six seasons in Cleveland and reached the playoffs twice. However, after a five-win season and the departure of the strategy czar who blessed Stefanski’s hiring (Paul DePodesta), the Browns have found themselves at a coaching crossroads again.

Given Baker Mayfield’s success in Tampa Bay after the Browns exiled the former No. 1 pick, Stefanski’s story could have some familiarity for Cleveland fans. With a dearth of accomplished play-callers available in this year’s cycle, Stefanski will quickly vault to the top of a couple teams’ wishlists. Some in the industry have paired Stefanski as an ideal fit for both the Giants and Titans—two teams armed with young, talented quarterbacks looking for an offensive identity. It may not be long before the Browns’ two-time AP Coach of the Year is winning that hardware in another locale.

While the Browns are riding the momentum of a solid 2025 draft, Stefanski’s firing highlights what has been the central issue of this team for a quarter century: The team is a cross-section of decent, well-conceived ideas (alongside perhaps the worst idea in modern NFL history) and, like many teams that are perpetually noncompetitive, happens to stumble into top-of-the-league talent. However, the Browns are seemingly never all in one place at once.

For example: The young offensive skill-position players are developing just as the wheels are coming off the offensive line. The defense will age out before the team finds an answer at quarterback. And, in getting rid of the one coach who has managed to pick up those pieces and carry them to the playoffs, the Browns seem to be truly intent on leaving all that is good about this team to chance.

One of the only advantages the Browns have this cycle is that the team may be competing against fewer vacancies than usual. While the Browns boast a solid defense, this is not a job that matches the attractiveness of Nashville (location and market survivability) or New York (a prestigious, blueblood job; a QB with untapped upside; a troika of high-upside edge rushers).

That said, industry experts are curious whether Cleveland could deliver the surprise hire of the coaching cycle, without an obvious connection to one of the top candidates this cycle.

With that in mind, let’s explore a short list that would be a mixture of names I expect the Browns to request interviews on in addition to some I think the team should. You can also refer back to my longer list of future NFL head coaches from December for a wider look at this cycle’s candidate pool.

Burke is a disciple of Cleveland’s star defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz. The 49-year-old took the helm of calling DeMeco Ryans’s defense this season as the team completed one of the most impressive turnarounds in recent NFL history. If he keeps some coaches in place, Burke would gel with a Browns staff that is well-liked in the building and could help retain some harmony beyond the head coaching position, which, with a pool of talented young players, might be important.

Jim Schwartz and Tommy Rees, defensive and offensive coordinators, Cleveland Browns

As we mentioned above, Cleveland likes its coordinator set right now. While it would feel like a repeat of Freddy Kitchens in 2019 to simply promote after getting rid of Stefanski, the Browns certainly don’t want to leave the defense threadbare and risk letting go of Schwartz. Rees, who is still young (33), is well-liked in the building and has done a heavy lift with an offense that has gone from Joe Flacco to Dillon Gabriel to Shedeur Sanders this season.

One industry source noted that Cleveland is not set up well for a young, first-time head coach, and I’d bet that any of the younger coaches with upside are wary of the possible pitfalls here. McCarthy is 62 and has boasted a winning record in both Dallas and Green Bay, along with a Super Bowl trophy under his belt. He would be the safest option for the Browns, albeit one with a defined ceiling.

McCarthy paired with Schwartz and Rees would be a strong, experienced staff that could prevent any outright cratering as the team pivots to a new era.

Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator, San Francisco 49ers

Saleh was on the Browns’ interview list the last time around (2020)—a search run by J.W. Johnson, who is still among the highest-ranking members of the organization. Saleh is primed for another run at a head coaching job and his ability to inject life into a static situation is undeniable. With the Browns boasting in-house candidates, the team likely has the advantage of waiting for coaches who are in the playoffs. This is true of both Saleh and …

Kubiak was on Cleveland’s offensive coordinator wishlist last offseason and is close to Stefanski. The son of Super Bowl champion Gary Kubiak, Klint’s star rise this season was undeniable. While some in the industry feel Kubiak would benefit from some additional seasoning, this may be the season to reach out and grab a talented play-caller early rather than late. An advantage with Kubiak is that he can start interviewing on Wednesday, given that Seattle clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed Saturday.

David Shaw, passing-game coordinator, Detroit Lions

Here’s your wild-card candidate. Shaw pioneered a tight end-centric, powerful, downhill running game as an offensive coordinator and head coach at Stanford that would mesh ideally with Cleveland’s personnel. Shaw has been on NFL radars before, and he has experience both in NFL personnel and on offensive staffs. He has head coaching bona fides and is well-liked in NFL circles. The 53-year-old has a playing career that traces back to the great Bill Walsh.