Kevinas Lawrence Stefanski, the head coach at Brown, was fired because of…

In his first season on the job, 2020, coach kevin Stefanski overcame every obstacle and challenge the COVID season threw at coaches—especially rookie coaches—and, in this case, a rookie coach taking over one of the NFL’s most incompetent teams. This was one of the first signs the Cleveland Browns had found a keeper in Stefanski.

Given that Browns officials had interviewed Stefanski for their head coaching position the year before and had chosen to hire Freddie Kitchens instead, it was astounding that Stefanski was even considering the position.

The Kitchens Era lasted just one season when the Browns returned to Stefanski, who was then in his fourteenth year as the Minnesota Vikings’ head coach, as the

coordinator of offenses. The Browns made him a job offer this time. The team hasn’t needed to appoint a head coach since he accepted.

The franchise’s storyline was drastically altered by Stefanski’s entrance, and this transformation happened quickly. The Browns had their first winning season in 12 years and only their second in 21 years in 2020, thanks to Stefanski’s 11-5 regular-season record in his first year of coaching.

The cherry on top of the season was a 48-37 Cleveland triumph over the Steelers in a wild card game played in Pittsburgh. Stefanski, who was placed under quarantine after testing positive for COVID, managed the victory from the basement of his Cleveland house.

Thereafter, in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Browns were defeated by Kansas City, 22–17. After a stunning turnaround, Cleveland concluded the season with a 12-6 record, and Stefanski was named the NFL’s Coach of the Year in his first year of employment.