The Jim Schwartz news hit fans like a ton of bricks on Friday morning, but there was a clear silver lining.
While it was completely within Schwartz’s rights to step down as defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns, the team still retains his rights. As Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported, he’s under contract in 2026 with a team option for 2027. That means Schwartz could have to sit out a full year before reentering the NFL’s hiring cycle, and he’d still need an assist from Browns owner Jimmy Haslam to officially break free from Berea.
Why bother holding Schwartz hostage after their regime change? The idea of the Browns potentially acquiring draft compensation for one of the best coordinators in football was naturally discussed among fans and media members alike as an intriguing option.
But according to insider Mary Kay Cabot, that potential silver lining is off the table.
The Browns' Jim Schwartz mess just took a confusing turn
The initial chatter around Schwartz’s potential trade value wildly missed the mark.
Cabot cited a team source over the weekend with this informative update: NFL teams are restricted from trading coordinators, only head coaches and high-level executives are eligible.
“The Browns retain his rights, and at this point, have no plans to let him out of his contract. It means he’ll have to sit out these two years unless the two sides reach some kind of resolution. A coordinator can’t be traded per NFL rules, league spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed for cleveland.com.”
Btw, got it confirmed from the #NFL office that a coordinator can't be traded.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) February 6, 2026
That confirmation just adds to a brutal situation for the Browns, who gave Schwartz a second interview for their head coach opening early in the process and had to know where he stood if passed over. It made sense for Cleveland to hire an offensive-minded veteran like Todd Monken, given the team’s upcoming rebuild on that side of the football, but there had to be a subsequent plan in place for the likely fallout on the defensive side of the coaching staff, right?
It’s fair now for Browns fans to question the team’s plan for Schwartz. If they can’t extract draft capital in exchange for his contract, why play hardball? It’s not about the money, because the Browns reportedly put a raise on the table that Schwartz walked away from, per Cabot.
This whole power struggle just got a lot more confusing, and with Cleveland quickly moving forward with defensive coordinator interviews over the weekend, holding Schwartz over a barrel on his contract makes zero sense.
It’s common for assistants and coordinators to move on in the NFL after a head coach change, and unless ownership’s trying to prove some sort of point, letting Schwartz go and squashing this storyline for good feels like the only option.