Cleveland Parts Ways with Kevin Stefanski After Six Seasons, Citing Slide

The Cleveland Browns announced on Monday that they had relieved Kevin Stefanski of his duties as head coach, a sudden conclusion to a six-year tenure that began with genuine optimism and ended amid mounting frustration over results. The team held the news conference at its Berea training facility, where owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Andrew Berry addressed reporters and outlined the club’s immediate plans.

Stefanski, who was hired in January 2020, compiled a 45-56 record in Cleveland and was a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year. He signed a contract extension in 2024, a decision that now will be scrutinized after the Browns finished the 2025 regular season 5-12 and placed last in the AFC North for a second consecutive year. Cleveland closed the season with two straight wins, including a 20-18 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 4, but recent results left ownership and management convinced change was necessary. Over the past two seasons the Browns went a combined 8-26, a span repeatedly cited as a principal factor in the dismissal.

“This was a difficult decision and today is a tough day for our organization because of the impact Kevin has had and the deep, meaningful relationships he has built across our building,” Andrew Berry said in a team statement. Berry will remain as the Browns’ executive vice president of football operations and general manager and will lead the search for the next head coach.

Stefanski released a statement thanking the organization and fans. “After six seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, I leave with an immense sense of gratitude. When I arrived in January of 2020, this organization, this community and Browns fans embraced me and my family with open arms. I cannot express properly in words how good we have been treated. A sincere ‘Thank You’ to everyone who I have been so blessed to work for and with over these six seasons.”

Players reacted publicly to the news, signaling both respect for Stefanski’s work and impatience with recent outcomes. Cornerback Denzel Ward said, “We’re capable of winning more than the games that we won, but we obviously didn’t. Things are going to change and have to change. We got to find a way to get this thing rolling.”

Stefanski’s early Cleveland years included multiple playoff appearances and a revitalization of a franchise that had struggled for decades. But a combination of faltering results, back-to-back last-place divisional finishes and a period after his 2024 extension in which he relinquished play-calling duties to two different offensive coordinators eroded confidence in the current direction. The decision underscores a broader tension in the NFL between patience for a coach’s long-term vision and the short window for tangible progress in a high-stakes business environment.

For the Browns, the move is as much about signaling to a demanding fan base and sponsors as it is about Xs and Os. Retaining Berry while changing the head coach suggests ownership wants continuity in roster construction even as it seeks new leadership on the sideline. League sources and reporting indicate Stefanski could be a candidate for other vacancies this hiring cycle, with the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants among the teams mentioned as potential fits. Observers also note this year’s coaching pool appears shallower than in previous cycles, which could shape Cleveland’s search strategy and open opportunities for a first-time NFL head coach.

The coming weeks will test Berry’s ability to marry cap and personnel realities with the cultural reset many in Cleveland now demand. For a city that prizes football identity, the Browns must convert change at the top into a more consistent product on the field and renewed faith among a loyal, exacting fan base.