Since the NFL’s regular season concluded and teams have been eliminated from the playoffs, there have been 10 head coaching vacancies across the league. Five of those have already been filled, and some teams have elected to act more quickly than others to fill their open positions.
The Cleveland Browns are among the teams that didn’t make a quick decision, despite firing Kevin Stefanski shortly after the regular season concluded. They’ve had several interviews thus far, but are doing their due diligence on candidates before moving forward.
While this approach can be seen as being overly cautious, it could also be a sign that coaches aren’t as willing to accept a job with the Browns as they are with other teams. Analyst Tony Grossi pointed this out in a recent X post, saying, “Ravens finished 8-9 and were only eliminated from playoffs in last game, fired their long-time head coach, conducted a coaching search, hired a new head coach & are interviewing OC candidates. Browns finished 5-12, fired their coach, & still are not Rooney Rule compliant.”
Ravens finished 8-9 and were only eliminated from playoffs in last game, fired their long-time head coach, conducted a coaching search, hired a new head coach & are interviewing OC candidates.
Browns finished 5-12, fired their coach, & still are not Rooney Rule compliant.
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) January 22, 2026
Grossi is seemingly frustrated with the way the Browns are handling things, comparing them to the Baltimore Ravens. As he mentioned, after John Harbaugh was fired, someone who had been with the organization for a long time, the Ravens moved quickly to find their newest signal-caller.
There’s a lot to unpack here, but for most fans, this likely comes down to a lack of organizational chemistry and overall dysfunction. The Browns have not only had plenty of frustrating outcomes on the football field over the past several years, but their front office seems to have plenty of problems.
This has led to a suboptimal roster, as they haven’t made the necessary moves to put this team on the right path, and it has likely led to coaches not wanting to set foot in the building.
Five jobs have already been locked up, and other teams around the league seem to be getting closer to finding their newest head coach. If the Browns aren’t careful, they could end up as the last team to make a decision, which could leave them with a coach that fans are not happy with.
NEXT: One Browns Coaching Candidate Is Gaining Real Momentum
