Depending on who and what you believe, Cleveland Browns HC Kevin Stefanski is either for sure keeping his job or for sure fired at the end of the season. The “hot seat” conversation, where Stefanski’s future is up in the air, seems to have flown out the window over the last few weeks.
While Browns fans seem to be done with Stefanski, in general, it seems like the NFL is impressed, overall, with the two-time Coach of the Year. Earlier this season, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports noted Cleveland’s
top coach in the same breath as Mike Vrabel and Andy Reid. Both Vrabel and Reid have had success in their second stops as head coaches.
Now, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has also compared Stefanski to Vrabel and noted that an AFC executive, among “several” others, had positives to say about the Browns coach:
Several executives and coaches I’ve spoken to believe he’d be a prime candidate for a head coaching job elsewhere should Cleveland move on after the season. “He’s a good coach, experienced, two-time Coach of the Year — Cleveland is a hard place to win,” an AFC executive said. “He might need a fresh start elsewhere.”
Nick Wilson of 92. The Fan believes that there might be forces on Stefanski’s side behind that report:
Given the two national media members who have shared similar reports almost two months apart, it is unlikely that they are both smoke to help Stefanski’s reputation and/or to land another job quickly. The timing of this report, as the rumors seem to be bouncing between two extremes, could in fact be pushed by the coach’s agent or those within his inner circle.
For now, we will continue to hear rumors, innuendos and everyone’s interpretation of what the future holds for the Browns and HC Kevin Stefanski. In the end, it could end up just like Vrabel and Reid, where both were better off in their new location. If Stefanski gets a Patrick Mahomes or Drake Maye, it would be far more likely and far better than anything he’s had in Cleveland.
It is also possible the Browns find their Mahomes/Maye in this year’s NFL draft with Stefanski still roaming the sidelines. It all depends on what owner Jimmy Haslam thinks.
