CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have their man. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Browns have hired Kevin Stefanski to be their new head coach.
The 37-year-old Stefanski has been an assistant coach with the Minnesota Vikings dating back to 2006. In 2019, he served as the team's offensive coordinator, with Minnesota ranking eighth in the NFL in scoring and 10th in yards per play.
After upsetting the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card Round last weekend, the Vikings' season came to an end with a 27-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round on Saturday.
Cleveland's hiring of Stefanski comes a year to the day after the team promoted interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens to head coach. Stefanski had been a finalist for the position and reportedly the favorite of Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta and Vice President of Player Personnel Andrew Berry before being passed over for Kitchens by Browns ownership and general manager John Dorsey.
Kitchens, however, was fired by the Browns after amassing a disappointing 6-10 record in 2019. The fallout of Cleveland's season also led to the departure of Dorsey, who parted ways with the team on Dec. 31.
Having hired their new head coach, the Browns will now turn their attention to replacing Dorsey with a new general manager. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the team has requested permission to interview Berry, who left Cleveland last offseason to join the Philadelphia Eagles' front office.
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