The first firing on Black Monday in the NFL has come from Cleveland.
Kevin Stefanski was fired by the Browns after six seasons as the team’s head coach, the team confirmed Monday.
Stefanski, who won NFL Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2023, went 45-56 during his tenure with two postseason appearances.
The last two seasons were apparently enough to cancel out the good years, as the Browns went 3-14 in 2024 and 5-12 in 2025. Stefanski, though, is the only coach to lead the Browns to a playoff win since the club returned to the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1999.
“After six seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, I leave with an immense sense of gratitude,” Stefanski said in a statement. “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.”
This season, the team shuffled through multiple starters — including Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The team still doesn’t have its franchise quarterback and has the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Browns are the fourth team with a head coaching vacancy, joining the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons.
Given his resume as an offensive mind, Stefanski figures to be a candidate for any of the other job openings.