Well, that didn’t take long.
About six hours after the Cleveland Browns made their split from Kevin Stefanski official on Monday morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that three teams — the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons — were all planning to speak with the two-time AP Coach of the Year for their head coach vacancies.
Stefanski clearly isn’t wasting any time, either, as he’s reportedly set to take his first official interview with the Titans on Saturday.
There’s already plenty of smoke around Stefanski and the Giants, who despite another four-win season have some solid young pieces in place in QB Jaxson Dart, WR Malik Nabers, LT Andrew Thomas, RB Cam Skattebo, and edge Abdul Carter, along with a pair of superstar defenders in Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence.
It would be foolish, however, for anyone to overlook Tennessee as a potential landing spot for Stefanski, who did extensive work on the QB prospect he wanted most of all in the 2025 NFL Draft.
QB Cam Ward could be the biggest draw of 2026 hiring cycle for Kevin Stefanski
Just about every NFL Draft analyst expected the Browns to select a QB last April, with Deshaun Watson coming off a twice ruptured Achilles tendon, on top of failing to top 200 yards passing in any of his seven starts as the Browns stumbled to a 1-6 record to open the 2024 season.
The real surprise was the quarterback — sorry, quarterbacks — that general manager Andrew Berry and the Browns actually added in the draft.
It’s extremely difficult to find a franchise guy outside of the first two rounds, but after Cam Ward went to the Titans No. 1 overall, Cleveland passed on making moves for Dart or Tyler Shough, instead waiting until the third round to select Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The Browns then doubled down, of course, by ending Shedeur Sanders’ slide at pick No. 144 overall, in the fifth round.
That was clearly a Plan B, as according to Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot, the team wouldn’t have hesitated to take Ward with the second overall pick had Tennessee either traded the selection or gone in a different direction.
Former #Browns coach Kevin Stefanski will interview with the #Titans on Sat. Browns would’ve drafted Cam Ward at No.2 if he somehow fell there. https://t.co/IDisq8KjaY
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) January 6, 2026
According to Cabot, Stefanski and company did their homework on Ward during the pre-draft process, and ultimately opted for a trade back with the Jacksonville Jaguars, from pick No. 2 to No. 5, to collect added draft capital, including an extra 2026 first-rounder this year.
Just how high was Stefanski on Ward? We may find out over the next week or so.