For years, Cleveland Browns fans and NFL pundits debated about Kevin Stefanski. On the one hand, he was a two-time Coach of the Year winner who led the team back to the playoffs. On the other hand, he had only one top-10 offense in six years with the team, in spite of being a so-called offensive guru.
Whether Stefanski was a good coach or not was beyond the point. There was no way to justify keeping him around after winning eight games in two seasons, even if all the issues weren't solely on him.
That's why it now seems that he's just trying to make a statement and stick it to his former team. On top of stealing several assistant coaches, he's now about to do what most Browns fans urged him to do from day one: Give up play-calling duties.
Stefanski on who is calling plays: Tommy will call plays. That's a setup I'm very, very comfortable with. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) January 27, 2026
Tommy Rees will call plays for Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta
While this is standard procedure for most head coaches and offensive coordinators, it's also a bit of a gut punch for the Browns.
Year in and year out, Stefanski was reluctant to give up play-calling duties, which may have taken a toll on his ability to be a proper game manager. He did give play-calling duties to Ken Dorsey in 2024 and then to Rees last season. But it was too little, too late, and the playoffs were already all but out of reach.
Of course, props to Stefanski for learning from his previous mistakes and realizing that next year might make or break his reputation as a head coach in this league. Then again, given the way he's operated since joining the Falcons, this also feels like another subtle jab at GM Andrew Berry and owner Jimmy Haslam.
Every season, Haslam and Berry micromanaged every aspect of the operation, but with little to no success. Now, Stefanski is looking to prove that he wasn't the problem, taking Rees and Bob Quinn with him while also bringing back former Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan.
For years, NFL pundits claimed that Stefanski would land a new job almost immediately if the Browns let him go, and they were right. Will they be right about him being an elite offensive coach and just another scapegoat in Cleveland? We shall see.