The Cleveland Browns’ 2025 season didn’t offer much to celebrate-except for one massive, history-making bright spot. Defensive superstar Myles Garrett etched his name into the record books by breaking the NFL’s single-season sack record, cementing his status as one of the most dominant forces in football today. And while that moment gave Browns fans something to hang their hats on, the offseason has been anything but smooth in Cleveland.
There was at least one more glimmer of good news this week: rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been named a Pro Bowl alternate. For a first-year player, that’s no small feat.
It’s a nod to the poise and potential he showed under center, even as the team around him struggled to find its footing. Sanders showed flashes of the kind of quarterback who can be a franchise cornerstone-smart with the ball, confident in the pocket, and unshaken by pressure.
But the Browns’ front office is still facing a major challenge: finding the right head coach to lead this team forward.
After parting ways with Kevin Stefanski following the season, the expectation was that Cleveland would be a hot destination for coaching candidates. On paper, it makes sense.
You’ve got a generational pass rusher in Garrett, a promising young quarterback in Sanders, and a defense that, when healthy, can be downright nasty. But what’s happened since has been a reality check.
First, Mike McDaniel-who many believed was a top contender for the Browns’ head coaching job-bowed out of the race. He ultimately accepted the offensive coordinator position with the Los Angeles Chargers, opting to join forces with Justin Herbert rather than take on the challenge in Cleveland.
Then came another setback. On Monday, Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, a finalist for the Browns’ head coaching vacancy, informed the team he was also withdrawing from consideration. According to reports, Udinski remains in the mix for the head coaching job in Buffalo.
That’s two top-tier offensive minds-both with track records of developing quarterbacks-who’ve passed on the opportunity to work with Sanders and lead this Browns squad. And that’s raising eyebrows.
The fanbase, understandably, is frustrated. Cleveland’s coaching carousel has been spinning for decades, and the numbers tell the story: just five winning seasons in the last 30 years, no playoff wins during that stretch, and 17 seasons with five or fewer victories. The franchise has cycled through head coaches, quarterbacks, and front office regimes, all while struggling to build anything resembling sustained success.
On social media, fans didn’t hold back. Some questioned the ownership’s long-term vision.
Others pointed to the presence of Deshaun Watson on the roster as a potential deterrent for coaching candidates. And some simply vented their exhaustion with a team that seems stuck in a perpetual rebuild.
Where Cleveland goes from here is the big question. The job is still open, and while it’s not without its challenges, it’s also not without its appeal.
Any coach willing to take on the role will inherit one of the league’s most disruptive defensive players and a rookie quarterback who’s already turning heads. That’s not a bad foundation.
But make no mistake-this is a pivotal moment for the Browns. Whoever steps into that head coaching role will be tasked not just with calling plays or managing egos, but with changing the culture of a franchise that’s been chasing stability for decades.
The right hire could finally turn the tide. The wrong one?
Well, Browns fans have seen that movie before.
For now, the search continues. And the clock is ticking in Cleveland.