Nothing screams "dysfunctional NFL franchise” quite like a one-and-done head coach. There are recent examples, like the Broncos with Nathaniel Hackett and the Patriots with Jerod Mayo, where it becomes so painfully obvious that the coach is in over his head that ownership has no choice but to pull the plug.
The start of the Todd Monken era has been ugly, but we’re not there yet with the Cleveland Browns. Not even close.
FanSided’s Austen Bundy wrote about the possibility of Deshaun Watson taking Monken down with him after this 2026 season. He thinks the Browns’ quarterback situation will make Monken the next Freddie Kitchens.
“The head coach decides who gets to start each week, but that same coach has to take the pulse of the team occasionally. If Monken was really listening, he'd realize nobody in that locker room wants Watson to helm the ship. Confidence and trust in him is practically negative and that will eventually be true of Monken if he doesn't wise up quickly. Losing the locker room means you're likely losing the job too.”
Monken confirmed Watson as the starting quarterback on Aug. 24, and whatever buzz that was building around Cleveland’s young roster quickly deflated.
But Browns fans should be buckling in here. Monken will not be the NFL’s next one-and-done head coach, for multiple reasons.
The Cleveland Browns hired Todd Monken for a rebuild that was always going to take time
Todd Monken signed a five-year contract
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has been paying Watson $46 million per season since 2022, so there’s a history of him essentially setting money on fire.
But he’s highly unlikely to fire Monken after the 2026 season. Monken signed a five-year contract, and coaches' contracts in the NFL are fully guaranteed.
If Monken were to be fired this year, he would still collect his paychecks from Haslam through the 2030 season, even if he were to be hired elsewhere as an offensive coordinator.
NFL coaches are fired with term remaining on their contracts all the time, but Monken's five-year deal hints at him getting the Aaron Glenn in New York treatment — an extended runway to establish his program with one of the NFL's youngest rosters.
Todd Monken has a history with Jimmy Haslam and the Browns
Monken wasn’t hired on a whim. He was the Browns’ offensive coordinator during that 2019 season with Kitchens operating as the head coach.
History doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything — Mayo was a former Patriots player and assistant coach and got shown the door after New England’s dismal 2024 showing — but Monken has more clout as one of the most respected offensive play callers in the game.
Monken is less likely to get the Mayo treatment after one year because his resume commands more respect.
The Browns’ quarterback situation is not Todd Monken’s doing
It’s totally understandable for Browns fans to be upset with Monken over Watson being named the starter. Some of his messaging through the media? It’s been cringy at times.
But while Monken signed up for the job, he didn’t pick Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel as his top three quarterbacks. That was GM Andrew Berry and the previous Browns regime.
It definitely makes more sense for the Browns to start Sanders, but they would be 0-1 right now and a heavy underdog in Week 2 at Tampa Bay either way. It doesn't matter who the offensive coordinator is. Cleveland’s going to get subpar quarterback play this year no matter who starts the games. The roster is the roster.
Monken's only hand-picked QB on the current roster is Taylen Green, but he’s essentially the team’s fourth-stringer with Gabriel currently stashed away on short-term injured reserve. The real decision will come on Day 1 of the 2027 NFL Draft, when the offensive guru the Browns hired six months ago will have a say in who the team targets as their quarterback of the future.
The Browns are one of the NFL’s great wild-card franchises, so anything could be on the table if the team plummets to a two- or three-win season. But even in that scenario, Monken’s job should be safe.
If Haslam hired Monken expecting some sort of magical turnaround overnight, with this roster and quarterback depth chart, then he’s living in a fantasy land. The Browns preached patience and “timeline” throughout the offseason.
Monken still has a lot to prove as a head coach, but he’s going to get multiple seasons to prove he can do it.
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