Cleveland Browns Next Coach Odds: Has the Front Office Messed Up Another Hire?

The Cleveland Browns are on the verge of another management mishap they’re all too familiar with amid their pursuit of their next head coach.

While several candidates already pulled out of the search, the Browns’ next coach odds show that a massive swing occurred on Monday. Now, a familiar face could be taking over the reins.

Here’s the latest on the Browns’ search and who leads the odds to become their next head coach.

Browns Next Coach

Cleveland already completed interviews with a variety of candidates, including ex-Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, newly-announced Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter, and Washington Commanders running backs coach Anthony Lynn, among others. 

Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase completed his second interview with the team on Monday, Jan. 26. However, reports emerged that he and other candidates were turned off by the Browns not wanting them to pick their own defensive coordinator. McDaniel, Udinski, and Minter ultimately withdrew from consideration.

Based on that, market data from Kalshi shows that the Browns’ current DC, Jim Schwartz, is the frontrunner to land the head coaching gig. While Schwartz currently has a 61% chance at the time of writing, he only had an 18.4% chance just 24 hours ago, at which time Scheelhaase was listed at 88%.

That also matches a report from Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, who said that Schwartz “seems to be gaining momentum” in the search.

Scheelhaase is down to a 35% chance to land the gig, while ex-Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, who was the Browns’ OC in 2019, is at 13 percent. 

All other candidates have less than a one percent chance at Kalshi.

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Why Did the Browns Fire Stefanski?

The Browns are searching for a new head coach after they fired Kevin Stefanski following a 5-12 campaign in the AFC North. 

Unlike many teams that clean house when they fire their head coach, the Browns hoped to retain Schwartz because of the defense’s productivity under his leadership. That’s proven to be a sticking point for several interviewees, who want the autonomy to bring their own people with them.

While the defense ranked fourth in EPA per play and helped defensive end Myles Garrett produce the NFL’s all-time single-season sack record, the offense was 31st in EPA per play and points per game. 

The Browns finished with a losing record in four of their last five seasons and were a combined 8-26 over their last two campaigns. They haven’t had consecutive winning seasons since 1987-88. 

NFL Coaching Carousel Tracker

While there’s still time for the Browns to land the right appointment, their approach to the process was anything but standard.

According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Browns’ search was "unlike any other in the NFL.” They required candidates to answer questionnaires, write multi-part essays, take a personality test, and complete other pieces of homework.

Of the 10 teams that needed new head coaches this offseason, six completed their hires. Those include:

• Atlanta Falcons - Kevin Stefanski

• Arizona Cardinals - ?

• Baltimore Ravens - Jesse Minter

• Buffalo Bills - ?

• Cleveland Browns - ?

• Las Vegas Raiders - ?

• Miami Dolphins - Jeff Hafley

• New York Giants - John Harbaugh

• Pittsburgh Steelers - Mike McCarthy

• Tennessee Titans - Robert Saleh

With candidates fleeing and the odds flipping overnight is Schwartz really a lock or just the last man standing? If you foresee another plot twist in Cleveland check the latest movement on Kalshi.

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