Kevin Stefanski is preparing to head into his sixth season as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and there has never been more pressure on him to succeed.
Stefanski has led the Browns to two playoff appearances throughout his tenure, which marked Cleveland's first trips to the postseason since January 2003. That's all well and good. However, the Browns went just 3-14 this past year, and patience may be running thin in Cleveland.
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton put together a hot seat check on every coach in the NFL entering 2025, and he called Stefanski's seat "blazing hot."
"Stefanski has two 11-win seasons, and he won Coach of the Year after both those campaigns in 2020 and 2023," Moton wrote. "However, Cleveland hasn't won a playoff game since the 2020 campaign, and the team has finished third or fourth in the AFC North in four of five terms on his watch. ... Stefanski is the Browns' longest-tenured head coach since Bill Belichick led the team for five years between 1991 and 1995, but he may not get another term if Cleveland remains in the AFC North cellar."
This past season was truly a demoralizing one for the Browns, as they went into 2024 with significant expectations and fell flat. Of course, a whole lot of variables were at play in Cleveland's miserable campaign, and it's difficult to pin most of that on Stefanski.
Still, the NFL is a results-driven business, and if the Browns are unable to show any improvement next season, it could end in Stefanski losing his job.
Is anyone expecting Cleveland to make the playoffs in 2025? No, but again, the Browns need to display some semblance of a positive direction next year.
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