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The Cleveland Browns announced contract extensions for head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry on Wednesday. The terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Stefanski and Berry joined the Browns in 2020 and have led Cleveland to a 37-30 record in their four seasons at the helm. The Browns reached the playoffs in 2020 and 2023, with Stefanski earning NFL Coach of the Year honors in both seasons.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry leading the Cleveland Browns,” Browns Managing and Principal Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said, per Kelsey Russo. “Since the day they were hired, each has worked tirelessly to help the Cleveland Browns win. We are proud of what they and the team have achieved, but Kevin and Andrew would be the first to say that Browns fans deserve even more. Their leadership, collaborative approach, and ability to overcome obstacles bode well for the future of this franchise.”
In their first season in charge, the Browns won 11 games and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2002. Cleveland defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wildcard Round for the franchise's first playoff win since 1994.
Consecutive losing seasons followed, but the Browns bounced back with 11 wins in 2023 despite using five starting quarterbacks and losing All-Pro running back Nick Chubb to a knee injury. A strong defense assembled by Berry mixed with Stefanski's leadership in the locker room helped lead Cleveland to the playoffs where they fell to the Houston Texans in the first round.
Berry, Stefanski bring stability to Browns organization
It's hard to calculate just how big of a turnaround the Browns franchise has had under the leadership of Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski. Before the duo was hired in 2020, the Browns registered 12 consecutive losing seasons with eight different head coaches.
Cleveland unconventionally hired Stefanski before Berry, as most teams find their general manager before picking a new head coach when hiring both in the same cycle. The move has paid off for the Browns and both men seem to have a great working relationship.
“Kevin, the way that he was able to lead and manage through challenges in adversity this year was absolutely phenomenal,” Berry said in January. “And we have a smart, adaptable, emotionally intelligent leader who the crazy part is, he's not even close to his ceiling. And I know that our organization is in really good hands both now and for the foreseeable future with him.”
Berry was 32 when the Browns tabbed him as their executive vice president of football operations, making him the youngest GM in NFL history. He was with Cleveland for three seasons before that as its vice president of player personnel and returned after a one-year stint in the Philadelphia Eagles front office in 2019.
Stefanski spent 14 seasons in six different roles with the Minnesota Vikings before coming to Cleveland. In his first head coaching gig at any level, Stefanski has quickly proven to be one of the best in the NFL.
The first four years of the Kevin Stefanski-Andrew Berry era resulted in the best four-year stretch in Browns history since the late 1980s. With stability at the top, the Browns can take the next step and become a consistent contender in the AFC.
