CLEVELAND, Ohio – What does the Browns’ 13-6 victory over Pittsburgh mean for Kevin Stefanski’s future?
I keep hearing that question from fans.
The answer should be: Not much.
Stefanski has been the Browns coach for six seasons. The only coaches in franchise history to have the job longer are Paul Brown (17 years), Blanton Collier (8 years) and Sam Rutigliano (6½ seasons).
It speaks well of Stefanski that the Browns were able to beat the Steelers in a game Pittsburgh needed to win to secure the AFC North title.
The Browns also played well the previous week, a 23-20 loss to Buffalo.
As the season comes to an end, it is a significant positive that the players remain engaged. Stefanski deserves credit for that.
But the Browns can’t make their decision on the coach for 2026 based on the last few games of what is now a 4-12 season.
At this point, the Browns should know if they want Stefanski back for a seventh season in 2026 – or not.
A little history
Here are the NFL head coaches who have been in their current jobs the longest:
Mike Tomlin, Steelers: 19 years, .627 winning percentage, zero losing seasons.
John Harbaugh, Ravens: 18 years, .616, one losing season.
Andy Reid, Chiefs: 13 years, .703, one losing season.
Sean McDermott, Bills: 9 years, .660, one losing season.
Sean McVay, Rams: 9 years, .619, one losing season.
Kyle Shanahan, 49ers: 9 years, .554, four losing seasons.
Matt LaFleur, Packers: 7 years, .659, one losing season.
Zac Taylor, Bengals: 7 years, .457, three losing seasons.
Kevin Stefanski, Browns: 6 years, .440, four losing seasons.
The general pattern is that these coaches consistently have good teams. It’s how they keep their jobs.
Shanahan is the exception. Like Stefanski, he’s had four losing seasons. Unlike Stefanski, three of those were in his first four seasons as San Francisco’s coach. He was building his team.
In Shanahan’s last five seasons, he has a 53-21 record and been to a pair of Super Bowls.
Perhaps the closest to Stefanski’s situation is Taylor with Cincinnati. He had a 6-25 record in his first two seasons as head coach.
He then had four winning seasons in a row as Joe Burrow arrived as QB. He also coached the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance after the 2021 season.
But this season, the Bengals are 6-10. There is discontent in Cincinnati.
Evaluating Stefanski
The Deshaun Watson trade in 2022 created a unique and demanding challenge for Stefanski. The front office lost six draft picks in the deal with Houston. The fully guaranteed, $230 million contract savaged the Browns’ salary cap.
Meanwhile, Watson went 700 days between regular-season NFL games. When he did play, he rarely looked anything like the three-time Pro Bowler with Houston.
Then came the injuries – a major shoulder surgery and two Achilles operations. Meanwhile, Stefanski was under a lot of pressure to make it work with Watson. Assistant coaches were fired. Offenses were changed.
Stefanski has given up calling plays in the middle of the last two seasons.
Like the entire Browns organization, Stefanski sometimes seems like a blindfolded man in a dark room looking for a light switch.
His two winning seasons (2020 and 2023) led to playoff berths and Coach of the Year awards for Stefanski. The last two seasons have been some type of rebuilding and lots of losing (7-26 record).
It has to be emotionally draining for the coach. The Watson trade hangs over the franchise – the coach and front office. In some part, it was ownership-driven.
I will write my opinion of Stefanski near the end of the week.
But what do you think?