There would be few who would argue that the Cleveland Browns and coach Kevin Stefanski had reached their limit in terms of a working relationship, that six years together–two good seasons, two meh seasons and, most recently, two disasters–were quite enough in the end. But around the league, there still seemed to be an impression that Stefanski himself is a very good coach, and that not long after he was set free by Cleveland, he would land a head-coaching job elsewhere.
That could be a very, very interval. That’s because, just one day after the Browns officially fired him, Stefanski landed his first interview, with the New York Giants, who fired ex-coach Brian Daboll during the season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that, “Former Browns HC Kevin Stefanski is interviewing Wednesday for the Giants head coaching job.”
Schefter reported on Monday that in addition tot he Giants, two other teams–the Falcons and Titans–would have interest in Stefanski for their head-coaching gigs.
Browns Did Not Draft a 1st-Round QB–The Giants Did
It could be interesting, indeed, to see what Stefnaski would do if the walked into a job like that of the Giants, who did the thing in the 2025 NFL draft that many felt the Browns should have done–draft first-round quarterback. The Browns took Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round last April, and struggled with both rookie signal-callers.
The Giants did not shower themselves in glory this year, at 4-13, but they did land a late first-round pick and used it on Jaxson Dart, who showed promise in 12 starts, going 4-8 with 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He had a quarterback rating of 91.7, which was considerably better than what the Browns got from Gabriel (80.8) or Sanders (68.1).
The Browns began last year’s draft with the No. 2 pick, which they traded down for No. 5 and a 2026 first-rounder from Jacksonville. Cleveland easily could have traded into the middle of the first round for Dart, or simply picked him at No. 5.
Kevin Stefanski Ended Long Playoff Drought
The Browns went to the playoffs twice with Stefanski, and won a playoff game. For those who basked Stefanski incessantly in the past two years, it is worth remembering that the Browns had not been to the playoffs since 2002 when he arrived in Cleveland, and had not won a playoff game since 1994.
Say what you will about his handling of the Browns, other teams around the league remain impressed by what he accomplished in Cleveland.
From the Browns’ perspective, team GM Andrew Berry said he did not see enough progress from the team to warrant keeping Stefanski.
Said Berry: “We’re realistic. I think how you evaluate progress when you’re a team that’s in transition versus how you evaluate progress for a team that’s squarely in their contending window, it’s different. Like, I think that’s totally fair. How we would think about a season in 2020 or 2021 versus this year, it’s different. That’s absolutely true. Some of that is outcome driven, but not all of it.
“And you try and weigh that as best as you can and make the decision that you feel is best for the organization.”
NFC Team Moves Quickly on Ex-Browns Coach Kevin Stefanski