It can reasonably be argued that posting back-to-back seasons of double-digit losses is enough to get any NFL head coach fired. That woeful record did cost Kevin Stefanski his job with the Cleveland Browns, but it may not have been the true cause of his demise.
The Browns never found a franchise-level quarterback during Stefanski’s six seasons, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. In fact, Cleveland made one of the biggest deals in NFL history when it traded for Deshaun Watson, and it turned out to be one of the most colossal busts of all-time.
Insider Terry Pluto recently revealed that Watson’s presence and lack of availability likely led to Stefanski’s downfall in Cleveland.
“In Cleveland, Stefanski didn’t suffer from ‘The Curse of Pretty Good.’ He was a two-time NFL Coach of the Year (2020 and 2023), but also had an 8-26 record in his last two seasons with the Browns. For Stefanski, it was more like ‘The Curse of Deshaun Watson.’ I believe Stefanski was plagued with ‘Watson Exhaustion,’ although the classy coach will never say that. In 2023, Stefanski won games with four different quarterbacks. The Browns finished 11-6 and made the playoffs. In the final few months of 2025, Stefanski seemed mentally drained by his six seasons in Cleveland – especially the last few years. An 8-26 record in the last two seasons with seven different starting QBs had to be depressing for Stefanski. He gave up play-calling in each of the last two seasons, which did nothing to help the depressing situation,” Pluto wrote.
Since arriving in 2022, Watson has played only 19 games due to an NFL suspension and season-ending injuries. He did not play at all this season while recovering from multiple Achilles tears, but that didn’t stop continued speculation about when he might return and if he could help.
Though he may have fared better than the combination of Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders did, it’s unlikely the record would have improved enough to save Stefanski’s job. The fact is, aside from a relatively successful stretch in the 2023 season that was cut short by injury, Watson never performed at the Pro Bowl level he showed earlier in his career with the Houston Texans.
In addition, because of the draft picks lost in the trade and the record-setting contract Watson received, the Browns were severely limited in their roster-building options. Despite a stellar rookie class from the 2025 NFL Draft, Cleveland still has glaring needs, particularly on offense, that were unable to be addressed.
The lingering quarterback issue will affect whoever takes over as head coach as well. Some candidates reportedly have concerns about it, in particular former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott.
Rarely does one individual player have such a negative influence on an NFL team, but that is what Stefanski dealt with in the past and what the Browns are dealing with going forward.
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