{"id":41702,"date":"2026-01-15T00:11:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T00:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702"},"modified":"2026-01-15T00:11:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T00:11:12","slug":"browns-rival-predicted-to-tap-kevin-stefanski-as-new-head-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702","title":{"rendered":"Browns&#8217; Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2253827479-e1768425382326.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2253827479-e1768425382326.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2253827479-e1768425382326.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2253827479-e1768425382326.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Browns' Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach\" width=\"780\" height=\"441\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Cleveland Browns are deep into the process of finding their own new head coach after firing Kevin Stefanski. Meanwhile, Stefanski has interviewed with six teams and is the favorite to land a job with one of the Browns\u2019 fiercest rivals.<\/p>\n<p>ESPN\u2019s Dan Graziano predicted on Tuesday, January 13 that Stefanski will eventually land with the Baltimore Ravens as their new head coach, which means he will face Cleveland at least twice every season as an AFC North Division opponent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Ravens know Stefanski from having played against his Browns teams for the past six years (Baltimore was 8-4 against Stefanski-coached Cleveland teams), and Stefanski is a popular candidate on this circuit,\u201d Graziano wrote. \u201cHe\u2019s a mid-Atlantic, East Coast guy who would fit in a place like here or New York.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stefanski isn\u2019t necessarily the most prized candidate during this coaching cycle due to the presence of former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh on the market, but he may still have his choice of a couple of jobs. Because of that, what Baltimore can offer Stefanski also matters in this discussion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving Lamar Jackson and a winning culture in place makes Baltimore the most appealing landing spot among the current openings,\u201d Graziano continued. \u201cStefanski had 13 different starting QBs in Cleveland, but he would get a true franchise passer in Jackson in Baltimore.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>NFL Betting Odds List Kevin Stefanski as Favorite to Become Next Baltimore Head Coach<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5694024\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=782\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 782px) 100vw, 782px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg?resize=782,440 782w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg?resize=780,439 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg?resize=425,239 425w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kevin-stefanski-cleveland-browns.jpg?resize=267,150 267w\" alt=\"Browns' Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach\" width=\"782\" height=\"440\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5694024\" data-lazy-load=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5694024\">\n<\/div>\n<p>DraftKings Sportsbook has been tracking the coaching cycle with updated hiring odds over the last several days.<\/p>\n<p>Its conclusions to date are in step with Graziano\u2019s prediction placing Stefanski with the Ravens when the coaching carousel finally stops in Baltimore.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Brian] Flores has the T-3rd highest odds to become the next HC of the Ravens. His odds are +450, with Kevin Stefanski (+350) and Jesse Minter (+350),\u201d The Purple Persuasion X account posted Wednesday. \u201cTodd Monken also has the same odds as Flores at +450. Overall, the Ravens job is very wide open on the books.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Vikings DC Brian Flores May Prove Kevin Stefanski\u2019s Top Competition for Ravens\u2019 Head Coaching Job<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5696686\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2243247275-e1767710128123.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=782\" alt=\"Browns' Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach\" width=\"782\" height=\"439\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5696686\" data-lazy-load=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5696686\">\n<\/div>\n<p>The Baltimore position is not settled, though Stefanski is in good shape if the team decides to hire an offensive-minded head coach rather than a DC.<\/p>\n<p>Minter has masterminded a strong defense for the Los Angeles Chargers over the last two seasons (two playoff appearances), while Flores has been a revelation for the Minnesota Vikings defense over the past three years.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Monken was the offensive coordinator in Baltimore under Harbaugh for the last three seasons and multiple reports from around the NFL indicated that one of the sticking points in Harbaugh\u2019s firing was an unwillingness to part with Monken as his OC. As such, it strains credulity to imagine the Ravens would fire Harbaugh just to replace him with Monken.<\/p>\n<p>Graziano also predicted on Tuesday that Minter will end up leading the Pittsburgh Steelers following Mike Tomlin\u2019s decision to step down after 19 seasons at the helm. Logically, that would clear a path between the oddsmakers\u2019 top four candidates in Baltimore for a showdown between Stefanski and Flores for the job.<\/p>\n<p>If the Ravens decide to restructure and\/or extend Jackson\u2019s contract as their quarterback this offseason, which is likely considering his status as a two-time league MVP, then Baltimore will probably lean toward an offensive head coach. If that happens, Stefanski has to be considered the leader in the clubhouse at this point.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is now expected to land the top job with one of the franchise&#8217;s biggest AFC foes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cleveland-browns"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Browns&#039; Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Browns&#039; Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach - Breaking News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is now expected to land the top job with one of the franchise&#039;s biggest AFC foes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Breaking News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-15T00:11:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/browns-22.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrKen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrKen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702\",\"name\":\"Browns' Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach - Breaking News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/browns-22.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-15T00:11:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-15T00:11:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b503ba061d907097809c4aa8a240af15\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/browns-22.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/browns-22.png\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Browns&#8217; Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"Breaking News\",\"description\":\"Explore top US sports stories, and live updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b503ba061d907097809c4aa8a240af15\",\"name\":\"MrKen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrKen\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Browns' Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach - Breaking News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Browns' Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach - Breaking News","og_description":"Former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is now expected to land the top job with one of the franchise's biggest AFC foes.","og_url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702","og_site_name":"Breaking News","article_published_time":"2026-01-15T00:11:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/browns-22.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"MrKen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrKen","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702","url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702","name":"Browns' Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach - Breaking News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/browns-22.png","datePublished":"2026-01-15T00:11:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-15T00:11:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b503ba061d907097809c4aa8a240af15"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/browns-22.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/browns-22.png","width":1080,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41702#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Browns&#8217; Rival Predicted to Tap Kevin Stefanski as New Head Coach"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/","name":"Breaking News","description":"Explore top US sports stories, and live updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b503ba061d907097809c4aa8a240af15","name":"MrKen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrKen"},"url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41702"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41704,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41702\/revisions\/41704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}