The Cleveland Browns are facing a bit of a conundrum. On the one hand, team owner Jimmy Haslam has made it loud and clear that he wants defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to stay with the team. On the other hand, Schwartz may have burned that bridge.
The former Detroit Lions head coach was reportedly livid after being bypassed for the position in favor of Todd Monken. He's still under contract for another year, and Monken is reportedly willing to keep him around.
Considering that, NFL insider Aditi Kinkhabwala told the story of how then-OC Kyle Shanahan convinced the Browns to let him walk and take the same job with the Atlanta Falcons 10 years ago. It will take some work, but Schwartz might be desperate enough to give it a go.
"Back in 2015, the Browns let then-OC Kyle Shanahan out of his contract to take the same role with the Falcons. He wrote up a 32-point presentation (with Mike McDaniel’s help!) and convinced then-HC Mike Pettine and ownership to let him go," Kinkhabwala wrote.
Jim Schwartz should take a page from Kyle Shanahan's playbook and find his own exit
That sounds a little extreme, but desperate times call for desperate measures. In reality, if Haslam has that much respect for Schwartz — which he should, given the work he's done — then he should just honor his desire and cut him loose. But that's not usually how Jimmy Haslam does business.
There's no point in keeping a disgruntled guy in such a powerful position, especially to kickstart a new era. He's not going to be fully invested, and that can only lead to disaster. It's better to just cut the cord and thank him for his services while they can still keep things civil.
Ironically, Haslam was reportedly so adamant about keeping Schwartz that he pushed younger head coach candidates to do the same, to the point that some chose to withdraw from consideration. Now, not only did the team go with an older candidate — but they might also lose the guy they tried to keep in the building.
That's yet another example to prove why the people hired to do a job should be trusted to do that job. Jimmy Haslam's heart is in the right place, and this hands-on approach only shows that he cares; he truly does.
Sometimes, however, the best way to help is to just get out of the way.