Jimmy Haslam has hired five full-time head coaches as Browns owner. Two of them lasted only one year, including Freddie Kitchens. And the coach who went 1-15 wasn't one of them.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
The Browns are down to essentially six finalists in GM Andrew Berry’s coaching search: Jim Schwartz, Todd Monken, Mike McDaniel, Grant Udinski, Jesse Minter, and Nathan Scheelhaase. They are all expected to receive second interviews, this time in person, this week. Scheelhaase’s can happen no sooner than January 26.
So, you’all want to be head coach of the Browns? Well, be careful what you wish for.
Consider the exploits of the others who sat in that office since Jimmy Haslam assumed ownership of the Browns in October of 2012.
1. Rob Chudzinski, 2013, 4-12.
After an unsuccessful courtship of Oregon coach Chip Kelly, Haslam’s first coaching search conducted by CEO Joe Banner and GM Mike Lombardi resulted in the surprise choice of Chudzinski, a Toledo native who had been Browns tight ends coach under Butch Davis and offensive coordinator under Romeo Crennel.
Chud was able to lure a respected offensive authority, Norv Turner, as his offensive coordinator, and he cobbled together a staff that included future NFL coordinators Shane Steichen, Drew Petzing, and Chris Tabor.
After an 0-2 start, veteran quarterback pickup Brian Hoyer came off the bench and ripped off three wins in a row. In Week 3, however, Banner shockingly traded starting running back Trent Richardson to Indianapolis. Chudzinski howled in protest, causing Banner to assure him, “Don’t worry. You’re our coach. We’re in it for the long haul.”
Alas, Chud was blind-sided as a one-and-done Browns coach. His imminent dismissal was reported by ESPNCleveland before halftime of the final game in Pittsburgh. Players interviewed after the game were incredulous as reporters suggested Chud would be fired. It was so preposterous to them, they thought it was made up. They were wrong.
2. Mike Pettine, 2014-15, 10-22.
Banner and Lombardi dug in deep for Coaching Search 2. They cast a wide net over a field of candidates that included Todd Bowles, Josh McDaniels, Mike Munchak, Greg Schiano, Adam Gase, James Franklin and Dan Quinn. Pettine was Rex Ryan’s DC with Buffalo and eventually was chosen over Quinn because the Browns didn’t want to wait for Quinn to complete his duties in the Super Bowl as Seattle defensive coordinator.
Pettine, son of a Philadelphia high school coaching legend, assembled a future all-star staff that included Kyle Shanahan, Aaron Glenn, Jeff Hafley, Anthony Weaver, Bobby Babich, Mike McDaniel, Mike LaFleur and Tabor. All are prominent coaches today.
During the search, Haslam was put off by the dysfunctional bickering and back-biting between Banner and Lombardi. Haslam abruptly fired both and promoted assistant GM Ray Farmer to general manager.
Hence came the infamous draft of Johnny Manziel a few months later. Haslam and Farmer ignored the preference of Pettine, who favored Khalil Mack after working him out at his Buffalo pro day, and over-drafted the diminutive, and substance-impaired, Johnny Football.
Hoyer, who had suffered an ACL tear against Pettine’s Bills the year before – provoking a hand-written letter of appreciation to Hoyer from Pettine shortly after that game – fended off Manziel in camp and initially thrived in Shanahan’s offense. Hoyer built a 16-10 lead over Drew Brees in the home opener. During halftime, Farmer texted a message to an underling on the sideline instructing him to tell Pettine to play Manziel in the second half.
It was just the beginning of the hard press Farmer and club president Alec Scheiner put on Pettine and his staff to play Manziel, whose jerseys were flying off the sales page on the team’s Website.
Hoyer led the Browns to 6-3 at the bye, but the pressure applied from the front office to play Manziel eventually got to Hoyer. It intensified when receiver Josh Gordon came off a substance abuse suspension and befriended Manziel.
Hoyer faltered, and Farmer and Scheiner got their wish as Manziel was finally inserted as the starting QB. The Browns lost six of their last seven games.
After the season, Shanahan and McDaniel collaborated on a 32-point power point presentation on why Shanahan should be let out of his contract. His father, Mike, told him he had no chance of winning after Farmer’s interference. Farmer was suspended a year later by the NFL for violating league rules.
In the aftermath, Farmer declined to meet with Hoyer and discuss a new contract, paving the way for Manziel to take over and get everyone fired. That included Kevin O’Connell, whom Pettine added as QB coach after Shanahan’s hasty exit.
3. Hue Jackson, 2016-18, 3-36-1.
Haslam went outside-the-box with his next regime change. He brought in MLB analytics guru Paul DePodesta to turn the football operations structure upside down, and elevated former team counsel Sashi Brown to EVP and GM. They joined Jimmy and Dee Haslam in the next coaching search.
DePodesta favored Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, but the Haslams were charmed by the affable Jackson, who led Marvin Lewis’ high-powered offense with the Cincinnati Bengals.
When Jackson entered Browns headquarters on his first day of work, employees lined the stairwell in the atrium and saluted him like a conquering hero. “We’re chasing greatness,” Jackson promised them.
What ensued was the darkest years in the history of the franchise.
After avoiding a winless season on a blocked field goal in the 15th game and finishing 1-15 his first year, Jackson vowed that would never happen again or he’d jump in Lake Erie. The Browns proceeded to go 0-16. To his credit, Jackson made good on his promise and staged a jump in Lake Erie to raise money for charity. He was joined in the water by Dee Haslam.
Amidst the losing, Haslam hired deposed Kansas City Chiefs GM John Dorsey in December. Dorsey was already scouting Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield from his basement in Kansas City, anticipating his next gig. Four months later, Dorsey chose Mayfield with the No. 1 overall draft pick over Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
Jackson miraculously was brought back for a third season – perhaps out of sympathy by the Haslams – but he was fired at midseason, along with offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who felt he would be named interim. Instead, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams got the nod, reportedly at DePodesta’s behest.
Williams steered the team to a 5-3 finish with Freddie Kitchens elevated to offensive coordinator. With a .625 win percentage, Williams is the only coach hired by Haslam to win more games than he lost. He wasn’t considered for the full-time job.
4. Freddie Kitchens, 2019, 6-10.
DePodesta and Dorsey butted heads over control of the next coach hiring.
DePodesta’s candidate was unknown Minnesota Vikings QB coach Kevin Stefanski. Dorsey floated New Orleans Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell inside the building, but backed off after receiving a cold reaction.
In the end, Kitchens was elevated to head coach with a hearty endorsement from Baker Mayfield, who had some big games with Kitchen calling plays. Haslam was apprehensive about the hire, evidenced by the fact he sat in the front row of Kitchens’ introductory press conference and deferred to Dorsey all the talking from the podium.
Kitchens’ season was marred by the league suspension of Myles Garrett after he ripped off the helmet of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and slammed it against the head of Rudolph in the closing seconds of a violent Browns win in a Thursday night game in November.
Prior to the teams’ rematch two weeks later in Pittsburgh, an image of Kitchens wearing a t-shirt with the words, “Pittsburgh started it” went viral on social media. Kitchens said his daughter gave it to him as a joke.
After going 2-4 with Garrett suspended, Kitchens became Haslam’s second one-and-done coach. Dorsey, who had turned a cold shoulder to DePodesta’s analytics staff, was also fired.
5. Kevin Stefanski, 2020-25, 44-58.
The demise of Dorsey and Kitchens led Haslam to extinguish the toxic feuding inside his organization. He turned over the next search to DePodesta with the marching orders to establish a peaceful, collaborative alignment between general manager and head coach.
DePodesta returned Stefanski as a coaching finalist with Robert Saleh, the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator. Once again, the Browns decided not to wait for the coach who made it to the Super Bowl, and they hired Stefanski. No other team had interviewed Stefanski for head coach.
Soon after, DePodesta completed his dream pairing by tabbing former Sashi Brown personnel director Andrew Berry as GM. At 32, Berry became the youngest GM in NFL history. DePodesta (Harvard), Berry (Harvard) and Stefanski (Penn) formed an all-Ivy League NFL front office.
In Stefanski’s first four seasons, the Browns reached the playoffs in 2020 and 2023, earning him NFL coach-of-the-year honors both times. After 2023, Stefanski and Berry each became the first coach and GM in Haslam’s ownership to receive contract extensions. They called each other “thought partners.”
But after the 2023 season, Stefanski was asked to fire offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to tailor a shotgun-spread offense to accommodate quarterback Deshaun Watson. Berry was the point man in acquiring Watson from the Houston Texans in March of 2022 for the franchise-altering price tag of six draft picks, including three No. 1s, plus an unprecedented, fully guaranteed contract of $230 million over five years.
The rash move led to legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan leaving to join his son with the Tennessee Titans. Callahan was Stefanski’s most trusted advisor. He didn’t agree with the direction the team had chosen.
Under the “collaborative” system demanded by Haslam and DePodesta, Stefanski had no recourse but to roll with the punches. Berry had traded Stefanski’s backup quarterback, Josh Dobbs, the week before the 2023 season, causing Stefanski hardships.
The switch in offensive systems, coordinated by Ken Dorsey, proved a disaster and was scrapped after a 3-14 record in 2024. A return to Stefanski’s offense in 2025 was undermined when six weeks of training camp prepping Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett for the starting QB role were wasted when Berry traded Pickett in August and Flacco in October. The trades left Stefanski with mid-round rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
In October, DePodesta jumped ship to rejoin MLB as an executive with the Colorado Rockies. His exit left a power vacuum. Berry, who sits alongside Haslam in the owner’s suite at every game, filled it.
Stefanski was fired after going 5-12. Berry, who handicapped the coach with his poor drafts and quarterback trades, was retained with more authority to oversee Haslam’s sixth coaching search in 13 years.