The Cleveland Browns have made the first move on the NFL’s infamous ‘Black Monday’ after firing head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Stefanski is out in Cleveland after his sixth season in charge of the team saw them go 5-12 and miss out on a place in the postseason for the fourth time in five years.
In a campaign which saw them use four different starting quarterbacks, the Browns were eliminated from playoff contention in 2025 as early as Week 14, when a defeat to the Tennessee Titans left them with a grim 3-10 record.
Across his six seasons at the helm, Stefanski went 45-56 while only putting up a winning record in two of them.
‘We have tremendous gratitude for Kevin’s leadership of the Cleveland Browns over the last six seasons,’ the team said in a statement announcing his departure.
‘He is a good football coach and an even better person. We appreciate all his hard work and dedication to our organization but our results over the last two seasons have not been satisfactory, and we believe a change at the head coaching position is necessary.
The Cleveland Browns have made the first move on ‘Black Monday’ by firing Kevin Stefanski
‘We wish Kevin, Michelle and the Stefanski family all the best in the future.’
The Browns confirmed that general manager Andrew Berry, who joined the same year as Stefanski, will continue in the role despite the head coach’s exit.
‘The entirety of our focus is on building a team that brings our fans the success they long deserve, and we will continue to work relentlessly towards that goal and invest whatever resources necessary to build a winning football program,’ their statement continued.
‘Andrew will immediately begin our thorough process to find an outstanding new head coach and leader of our football team. We have an exciting young core to build upon, and Andrew and his team are intent on adding talent to this core and building out a roster that can achieve sustainable success.’
Stefanski, who took on his first head-coaching job in Cleveland after working his way up to become offensive coordinator in 15 years with the Minnesota Vikings, reached the playoffs in his first season in charge while going 11-5, before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional round.
His Browns team then failed to get back to the postseason in the next two (8-9 and 7-10) before an impressive 11-6 season led them back there in 2023. However, it was one-and-done for Cleveland after a Wild Card defeat to the Houston Texans.
In 2024 they endured the most disastrous year of Stefanski’s reign after going 3-14, before this season’s 5-12 nightmare proved the final nail in the coffin.
