If this is the end for Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland, he was a class act through and through.
Asked repeatedly Sunday about the widespread reports regarding his future as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Stefanski deflected the focus back to the team’s 20-18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, as he’s done consistently over his six years on the job.
#Browns Kevin Stefanski on how he’ll spend the next 48 hours: “I’ll spend the next 30 minutes celebrating with this team”
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) January 4, 2026
The Browns leaned on Stefanski’s steady demeanor over the final month of the season, as injuries whittled their already thin roster to mostly spare parts. By Sunday’s Week 18 finale, rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders was working without his leading rusher in Quinshon Judkins, and leading receiver in tight end Harold Fannin Jr.; the defense played without leading tackler Carson Schwesinger, and also lost No. 1 corner Denzel Ward after just 13 snaps.
Cleveland still found a way to win the ball game, thanks to a pair of defensive touchdowns that bridged the first and second quarters. Myles Garrett’s 11th-hour sack of Joe Burrow to break the NFL’s single-season record was the icing on the cake of a win that felt much bigger than the capstone of a 5-12 overall finish.
It may not have been a big result for Cleveland’s spot in the 2026 draft order, but it clearly was for the players and coaches. Stefanski wouldn’t admit it, which is true to his style, but winning what could be his final game as head coach of the Browns was something he definitely wanted, as the always forthcoming Sanders revealed after the game.
Shedeur Sanders’ postgame remarks may say goodbye to Kevin Stefanski era
It’s been a rough couple of years for Stefanski, who wound up starting seven different QBs over the 2024 and 2025 seasons as the team stumbled to a 8-26 overall record.
He finally found a spark with Sanders, who was handed the keys over Cleveland’s final seven games this year. The Browns went 3-4 in those games, and per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, Stefanski played a major role in getting Sanders ready to play each week.
When asked about his coach’s uncertain future with the team, Sanders gave a reflective answer — as he might’ve just made his last start for the Browns as well.
“Coach Kev, he’s been real tough. He’s been tough, and it’s good. I think I grew and I learned a lot from him. This week we had a conversation just about things in general, and I think we grew to understand each other. We shared different things that we both were going through. So I know he wanted this win. And I know he wants every win, but I know this one means a lot.”
Sanders’ response definitely felt like more of a goodbye than a see you later. He expounded that Judkins came to his house this week just to talk life, and called it the pick-me-up he needed ahead of his final start of the season.
Always true to form, Stefanski is clearly a good coach who’s expected to quickly land a job elsewhere should he get fired this week. He’s never going to make the story about himself, but the past two games were clearly personal as the noise around his job status rose to peak levels.