The Cleveland Browns have lastly achieved success and stability, and within the wake of an 11-win season, each basic supervisor Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski are in line for long-term contract extensions this spring.
Browns proprietor Jimmy Haslam stated Monday that the workforce is “shut” to finalizing extensions for Berry and Stefanski, who’ve been the group’s frontmen since 2020.
“We’re within the technique of working by issues in order that Kevin and Andrew can be with us for an prolonged time period,” Haslam stated.
The Browns have solely been to the playoffs 3 times since returning to the league in 1999. Two of these have come below Berry and Stefanski.
The Haslam household has been keen to spend huge on gamers, and although the extensions gained’t assure success, they’ll mark a franchise milestone of types. No coach beforehand lasted greater than two and a half seasons below Haslam’s possession, and no high govt had made it greater than two years.
“The NFL is a extremely pressured scenario and the 2 of them (Berry and Stefanski) — there could also be different coaches and GMs that get alongside higher than they do, however I can’t think about two individuals in that scenario that work collectively higher than the 2 of them do,” Haslam stated. “And I say this on a regular basis, and Paul (DePodesta, the workforce’s chief technique officer), the three of them work collectively extraordinarily effectively. And in order that makes our job a lot simpler.”
Stefanski gained his second NFL Coach of the Yr award in 2023 after the Browns turned the primary workforce since 2015 — and simply the seventh within the Tremendous Bowl period — to win a recreation with 4 completely different beginning quarterbacks. The Browns began 5 completely different quarterbacks throughout their playoff season because of a four-game December win streak engineered by Joe Flacco, who’d been contacted by no different workforce till the Browns referred to as him in mid-November and signed him to their follow squad.
Stefanski had spent his complete profession with the Minnesota Vikings, ascending from an administrative position to offensive coordinator earlier than the Browns employed him in 2020. The Browns had interviewed Stefanski the earlier 12 months.
Berry was the youngest basic supervisor in NFL historical past when he returned to Cleveland. Berry spent three seasons because the Browns’ vp of participant personnel from 2016 to 2018, then served because the Philadelphia Eagles vp of soccer operations in 2019 earlier than returning to Cleveland and taking management of the roster.
Why the Browns are making this transfer
These extensions are deserved — and doubtless even overdue. The Haslams knew that, clearly, and this week’s house owners conferences offered the stage for the scenario to be addressed publicly. Each Stefanski and Berry would like to remain out of the highlight, and neither is comfy speaking about his achievements. However the Browns have gone from a longtime laughing inventory to a fairly good workforce, and a bunch of sensible selections have keyed that rise.
The workforce’s speedy future stays unsure because the 2022 huge guess on Deshaun Watson has not but offered something near an enormous payoff, however the Haslam household appreciates the stability each Berry and Stefanski have proven in navigating a number of conditions — and pushing the Browns out of the NFL’s backside tier.
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(Picture: Ken Blaze / USA Immediately)
