The Cleveland Browns can’t officially trade defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, but there’s still a way the team could get some compensation for their disgruntled coach.
Schwartz officially tendered his resignation this week, bringing an end to a drawn-out and awkward chapter for the Browns following the hiring of head coach Todd Monken. Schwartz had been a finalist for the head coaching position before Cleveland ultimately went in a different direction with Monken.
“Yesterday, Jim Schwartz submitted his letter of resignation as defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns,” the team said in a statement. “We’d like to thank Jim for his contributions to our organization over the last three seasons. Our search for a new defensive coordinator will begin immediately.”
Schwartz may be upset but resigning from the Browns means he can’t coach for the next two seasons. Cleveland holds his rights and has no plans to let him out of his contract.
“The Browns retain his rights, and at this point, have no plans to let him out of his contract,” Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “It means he’ll have to sit out these two years unless the two sides reach some kind of resolution.”
Browns’ Resolution Could Involve Trade
While teams can trade head coaches, they cannot trade coordinators. However, veteran NFL voice Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pitched a scenario where the Browns could essentially “trade” Schwartz if a team is interested in adding him to their staff. Florio targeted the Las Vegas Raiders as a team that could try to pull something like that off.
“It’s possible that the Raiders and Browns could informally work out some other tentative trade involving players and/or draft picks, to be effective when the league year begins on March 11,” Florio said. “Extra compensation for Schwartz could be buried into that transaction.
“Then, the Browns — in an apparent display of magnanimity — would release Schwartz from his remaining contractual obligations. So it’s over. Unless it isn’t. And things could get interesting if/when Kubiak becomes the new head coach of the Raiders and if/when the Raiders try to find a way to get Schwartz to Las Vegas.”
Browns Coach Todd Monken Credits Players, Not Schwartz
When Monken was introduced earlier in the week, he did not sound like someone trying to placate Schwartz to keep him on the staff. Monken credited the Browns’ players for their elite defense, not Schwartz.
“When I was preparing for the Cleveland Browns, I wasn’t trying to chip Jim Schwartz. I was chipping Myles Garrett,” said Monken, who was previously the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. “When I was sliding the protection to the outside ‘backers or Grant Delpit blitzing off the edge, I was sliding the protection to the players. And when I was worried about throwing to the right against Denzel Ward or Tyson Campbell to the left, that’s who I was worried about throwing at.”
The Browns defensive coordinator job is an attractive one. Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett remains the centerpiece after a record-setting 23-sack season, anchoring a unit built to win up front. Cleveland also boasts Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger, Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, and a deep supporting cast.
