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The Cleveland Browns will be searching for another head coach after giving Kevin Stefanski the axe on “Black Monday” following six seasons with the franchise.
Shedeur Sanders, the rookie quarterback who fans believed was being held back by Stefanski, spoke about the move on Monday as he and the rest of his Browns teammates head into the offseason.
“We just found out a couple seconds ago,” Sanders said when asked by reporters what he thought of the news, according to The New York Post. “I think it’s just overall the mentality, things are gonna happen, that’s just how the league is.
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“And moving forward, just focus on what we can improve on individually for the next head coach.”
It was quite the generic answer from Sanders, whom Stefanski made the starting quarterback for the remaining seven games of the Browns’ dismal 5-12 season.
Sanders was under scrutiny the second he was drafted in the fifth round by the Browns, especially considering many believed him to be a first-round choice this past April. That obviously didn’t come to be, and his draft stock plummeted while teams including his own took quarterbacks before him.
BROWNS FIRE HEAD COACH KEVIN STEFANSKI AFTER SIX SEASONS
Throughout training camp, and even into the regular season, there were many speculating that the Browns weren’t giving Sanders a fair shot at earning the right to start under center, and fingers started to point at the head coach.
Stefanski’s role in Sanders’ rookie season was a roller coaster, at least in the public’s eye. But Sanders did mention that he and Stefanski started to “grew to understand each other,” as they worked in their first season together.
“We would share different things that we would both go through,” Sanders explained. “I know he wanted this win, and I know he wants every win, but I know that this one means a lot.”
“I wish we all played as a team,” he continued. “And I wish we could have done more personally within this last year.”
The Browns were able to come away with a victory in their final game of the 2025 season, 20-18 over the Cincinnati Bengals, as Sanders threw for 11 yards on 11-of-22 passing with a lost fumble.
“I think I did what I was able to do and I definitely grew from a lot of things,” Sanders said as he reflected on his rookie campaign.
The season began with Stefanski steadfastly saying veteran Joe Flacco was the starting quarterback despite Sanders and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel also on the roster. Kenny Pickett was traded away to the Las Vegas Raiders, making the battle between Sanders and Gabriel as Flacco’s backup one of the top storylines in the summer.
Stefanski ultimately chose Gabriel, who eventually start six games after Flacco was traded to the Bengals midseason. Gabriel went just 1-5 in those starts, and following a concussion, Sanders was up next to try his hand at the starting role.
He won his first start against the Raiders, and went 3-4 overall across seven starts. Sanders threw for an even 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions, while completing 56.6% of his throws.
The Browns won’t be committing to Sanders, or any quarterback for that matter, heading into 2026 as they want to solidify their next head coach and allow that person to decide what’s best for the franchise. Cleveland also has Deshaun Watson under contract for next season, and GM Andrew Berry says they expect the embattled signal caller to be with the team heading into the 2026 campaign.
“I’m not going to get into specifics. We have a lot of work to do on the roster, particularly on the offensive side,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam also said on Monday.
Meanwhile, Stefanski might be right back on his feet in a head coaching role elsewhere in the NFL, as ESPN reports the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans are expected to bring him in to discuss their own head coaching vacancy.
Stefanski was a two-time Coach of the Year winner with the Browns, helping lead the franchise to two playoff appearances during his six years with the team (2020, 2023). He went 45-56 during 101 games with the franchise.
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