Jim Schwartz’s tenure with the Cleveland Browns is officially over, and by all accounts, it didn’t end on the best terms.
The Browns confirmed in a statement on Friday that Schwartz had resigned as their defensive coordinator after being passed over for Todd Monken has head coach.
"We'd like to thank Jim for his contributions to our organization over the last three seasons,” the statement read. “Our search for a new defensive coordinator will begin immediately."
How amicable was the breakup? Judging by what the local and national insiders are saying, it feels like things got kind of ugly — and that’s not a good thing for Schwartz’s immediate future.
Schwartz submitted a letter of resignation, per ESPN, so this wasn’t a mutual decision with handshakes and hugs all around. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network added that the Browns received Schwartz’s letter on Thursday, poor timing when you consider that two of Schwartz’s best players, Myles Garrett and Carson Schwesinger, were up for prominent awards in San Francisco at the NFL Honors ceremony; to Cleveland’s credit, it was able to keep the news in-house until Friday morning.
And then there’s Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who revealed the most troubling details of all when it comes to Schwartz’s future.
In a nutshell, he doesn’t have control of it — potentially for the next two years.
Jim Schwartz is still under contract for 2026, and the Browns hold a team option for him for 2027. So anyone who wants him has to go through them. https://t.co/ZxFImoMlHK
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 6, 2026
The Browns could hold out for draft pick compensation in return for Schwartz’s contract
Unfortunately for Schwartz, he’s not only under contract through 2026 as Cleveland’s defensive coordinator — the Browns hold a team option in his deal for 2027 as well, per Breer.
That gives the Browns the authority to block Schwartz from taking defensive coordinator jobs elsewhere, unless he’s able to draw head coaching interest during next year’s hiring cycle; he interviewed with both Cleveland and Baltimore for their HC jobs last month.
There’s another way Schwartz could find a new job as soon as 2026, and that’s via a trade. One logical path could play out in Philadelphia, if current Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio decides to retire; he’ll turn 68 in August, and if he decides to hang up his whistle, the Eagles could call Cleveland to discuss some sort of compensation to bring back their former DC of five years.
The Browns, of course, could end the madness and just let Schwartz out of his contract, like they did with Kyle Shanahan during the 2015 offseason; Shanahan had term left on his deal but was allowed to leave for a lateral offensive coordinator job with the Atlanta Falcons.
But no one should be blaming the Browns for playing hardball this time. They were open with their head coach candidates about their desire to keep Schwartz in the building. Monken also left the defensive staff untouched as team brass worked to find a resolution with Schwartz over the past 10 days. His disappearing act put the team in a tough spot.
How ugly did things really get behind the scenes? That’s the major question here, because Schwartz will have a hard time getting a job anytime soon if all bridges to Berea are burned.