The Cleveland Browns have a head coach opening for the first time in six years after parting ways with Kevin Stefanski, and the franchise will not be able to escape speculation that Deion Sanders of Colorado should be the guy.
Sanders has proven himself a more than capable coach at the collegiate level and has a Hall of Fame history as a player in the NFL. Beyond that, his son Shedeur Sanders started the last seven games for the Browns in 2025 as a rookie and will be in the hunt for the QB1 job next season.
However, the elder Sanders has never coached at the pro level, and Cleveland owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam — as well as general manager Andrew Berry — might harbor concerns about that. But Deion Sanders is unlikely to get the job for one very different and specific reason.
“I think [Stefanski’s] handling of Shedeur is what doomed him,” Chris Broussard of Fox Sports 1 said on Monday, January 5. “If you hire Deion, you’re committing to Shedeur. And he has not shown me enough to know he’s my next franchise guy.”
Deion Sanders Made Interestingly Timed Social Media Post Following Browns’ Firing of Kevin Stefanski
GettyDeion Sanders shares an embrace with his son, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Deion Sanders didn’t comment directly on the Browns’ dismissal of Stefanski, though he did make a somewhat interesting social media post — both in terms of content and timing — on Monday.
“We’re gonna make it!” Deion Sanders wrote. “Please get that in your Heart, your Spirit & your way of Living! It’s 2026 & that means it’s a New Year therefore it’s time for New Things! A whole new mindset is warranted & must be established right Now! We’re gonna Win this Game of Life. #CoachPrime.”
Those comments may or may not have been related to the firing of Stefanski, but they went live less than an hour after Cleveland dismissed its former coach. Also, the concepts of “making it” and a “new mind set” could certainly apply to Shedeur Sanders’ professional situation as he heads into his second campaign as an NFL quarterback in 2026.
Kevin Stefanski to Interview for Several NFL Teams With Head Coach Openings
Former head coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns. (Getty Images)
For his part, Stefanski may have been ready to get out of Cleveland just as much as the Browns were ready to move on from him.
Asked several times by various reporters in recent days and weeks about his desire to remain the head coach of the franchise, Stefanski never answered that question emphatically, or even directly.
He won two Coach of the Year awards with the team across a six-year stint, and ESPN insiders like Adam Schefter have reported over the last month, including on Monday, that Stefanski is going to get interviews with other teams looking for new head coaches this cycle.
“Sources: Former Browns HC Kevin Stefanski currently is expected to speak with the Falcons, Giants and Titans about their HC vacancies,” Schefter reported via X.
Browns Not Expected to Hire Deion Sanders as Coach for 1 Big Reason