The Cleveland Browns may decide to move on from coach Kevin Stefanski after the season but have no interest in a polarizing Hall of Famer to come as his replacement.
NFL insider Josina Anderson reported this week that there’s been “interest expressed” by a couple of teams about former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who is currently the skipper at North Carolina.
“I’m told there’s been recent interest expressed, at the very least, in speaking with Bill Belichick on an exploratory basis from two teams,” Anderson said. “My understanding is Belichick has upper-level personnel still fond of him in Atlanta, New York, Cleveland, whilst all struggling teams going through customary evaluations this time of year.”
Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com said that the Browns are not looking at a reunion with Belichick, who coached with the franchise from 1991-95.
“The Browns remain mum on Stefanski’s future with the team, and he’s not worrying about it, as he stated on Monday,” Cabot said. “The Browns will let the season play out and go from there. But they’re not interested in talking to former Browns coach Bill Belichick, a league source said.”
Kevin Stefanski Will Have Options if Fired by Browns
Stefanski is a two-time Coach of the Year but the Browns have gone 6-25 over the past two seasons. Everything is under “evaluation” per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, including Stefanski’s job.
If Stefanski is let go, he’d likely be a top candidate for openings around the league.
“Does owner Jimmy Haslam believe Stefanski is the right coach to bring a young team and young quarterback(s) into the next phase of the Browns’ build? If not, Haslam might opt to move on, and Stefanski would immediately become a top candidate elsewhere,” Rapoport and Pelissero reported.
Expectations were muted for the Browns this season amid ongoing uncertainty at quarterback and a lack of proven offensive firepower. Owner Jimmy Haslam acknowledged those challenges while offering strong support for Stefanski, pointing to a series of “tough breaks” that have defined recent seasons — most notably the fallout from the failed blockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson.
“Kevin’s done a really good job with us, and we’ve had some tough breaks,” Haslam said, per The Athletic. “A big trade we made didn’t work out, and you know, we’re all suffering from that. Kevin, I thought, really did a great job of rallying the troops last week at a really critical time. You find out about leaders when things are bad, not when they’re good, and he did a good job last week.”
Kevin Stefanski Not Worried About Future With Browns
Stefanski has remained typically mum about his job security amid the team’s struggles.
“I don’t get into those type of things,” Stefanski said this week. “I would just tell you my focus, our football team’s focus is solely on the Buffalo Bills and obviously, watching the tape today, that’s our focus, but that’s all we really care about.”
So, have the higher-ups told him he’s safe this season?
“I’m not going to get in those type of things,” Stefanski responded.
The Browns will face the Bills this week as a double-digit underdog at home on Sunday. Cleveland closes out the season with matchups against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.
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