Browns extend contracts of Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry, who aim to win Super Bowls together

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Two playoff berths in their four years together and two AP NFL Coach of the Year awards were enough to garner much longer looks from the Browns for head coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry.

The Browns signed Stefanski and Berry to multi-year extensions on Wednesday that will give them plenty of time to win some Super Bowls.

They’re the longest-tenured duo since the Browns returned in 1999, and the longest since coach Sam Rutigliano and Peter Hadhazy from 1978-84.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry leading the Cleveland Browns,” Cleveland Browns Managing and Principal Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a press release. “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.”

The Haslams cited last season’s playoff berth despite winning games with four different quarterbacks, and losing Nick Chubb in Week 2 to a season-ending knee injury.

“Despite facing multiple player injuries and using five different starting quarterbacks, Andrew and his staff built a roster that adapted well, while Kevin and his staff led the team to its second playoff appearance in four years, earning Coach of the Year honors for the second time in that period,” the Haslams said. “They are two of the brightest people we know, and selfless people who only care about what is best for the Cleveland Browns. We are thrilled that Kevin and Andrew will remain with the team for the future.”

Stefanski, the 10th full-time head coach since the Browns returned in 1999 and the 18th overall, is the first head coach in the new era to secure a fifth season, and the first since Bill Belichick from 1991-95. Since 1999, the previous long tenure of a Browns head coach was four years, set by Butch Davis from 2001-04 and Romeo Crennel from 2005-08. One of the 10 lasted three years (Hue Jackson 2016-18), four lasted two years (Chris Palmer 1999-2000, Eric Mangini 2009-10, Pat Shurmur 2011-12, Mike Pettine 2014-15) and two lasted only one year (Rob Chudzinski 2013 and Freddie Kitchens 2019).

“For Andrew (Berry) and I, it’s a partnership where we take our job seriously,” Stefanski said after organized team activities on Wednesday. “We really understand the jobs we have in this town. We understand our fans and what they want this team to be. So, we’re just going to focus on working, every waking minute to get this thing where we want it. But I just come back to this – for the organization to trust Andrew and I speaks to what we’ve been able to do, but we have plenty of work to do. Fortunately for us, we’ve got some great people in this building, coaches, players, staff. So, we’ll just continue to work.”

Stefanski, 42, and Berry, 37, have gone 37-30 together in the regular season, and 1-2 in the playoffs. Their winning perccent of .552 is the highest for the team over a four-year span since 1986-89. They own two of the Browns’ three playoff berths in the new era, and two of the four winning seasons since 1999. They also boast two of the Browns’ eight 11-win seasons since they joined the NFL in 1950, and the only two since 1999.

But Stefanski said he and Berry understand the elevated assignment going forward.

“Until you’ve got that final one checked off, you haven’t done it,” he said. “And that’s for us. As you know, there’s one goal for every football team, every franchise, and that’s where we’ll keep our sights. Obviously, in between, you try to win some ball games and do right by the community and those type of things. But we and every – all 32 clubs, we have one thing in mind.”

Towards the end of this contract which is likely four or five years for each, Stefanski will be close to sending his oldest child off to college, which seemed lightyears away when he took over in 2020. This, after six of the previous nine head coaches lasted two seasons or less. It’s given Stefanski and his family a chance to establish The Keeper’s Foundation to help underpriveleged children here and elsewhere.

“For my family, for our players, our coaches, we feel very much a part of this community,” Stefanski said. “As all of us know that have kids, it’s crazy to see them grow in front of you, and when you do get to some mile markers, you do reflect and look back. So, certainly crazy for me to think that way, but very, very fortunate, very, very appreciative of the support we get from this community.”

Their tenure started with a bang, with an 11-5 mark in 2020, and a wild card playoff berth — the Browns’ first since 2002. They won the first playoff game in 26 years when the Browns defeated Pittsburgh 48-37 in the wild card. They did so despite Stefanski having to watch the game from his basement after testing positive for Covid-19, and after having to navigate all of the stringent Covid-19 protocols in their first year here. The Browns went on to lose 22-17 to the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in the divisional round, but Stefanski earned his first AP NFL Coach of the Year award for his efforts.

In doing so, he became the 12th NFL head coach to win the award twice, and the second youngest to win it behind Don Shula, who was 37. During the Browns 77-year history, the team has surpassed 6,000 scrimmage yards in a single season just seven times; under Stefanski, the Browns have reached that mark in all four seasons.

The following season, in 2021, the Browns went 8-9, ultimately deciding to part ways with 2018 No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield in favor or Texans 2017 No. 12 pick Deshaun Watson, whom the Browns acquired in a trade with Houston for a net of five draft picks, including three first rounders. They immediately signed him to a blockbuster extension worth $230 million over five years years — the first fully guaranteed contract in the history of the NFL.

Watson served an 11-game NFL suspension in 2022 for sexual misconduct, going 3-3 when he returned. He missed 11 games in 2023 with shoulder injuries, a strained rotator cuff and a fractured shoulder socket and torn labrum that required surgery in November. With Joe Flacco coming off the couch to save the day, the Browns went 4-1 down the stretch to finish 11-6 and earn a wild card spot, but lost 45-14 to the Texans in the wild card round. However, Stefanski, who won games with four different starting quarterbacks, won his second AP NFL Coach of the Year award

During their tenure, and while working under Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta, the two were responsible for 22 Browns Pro Bowl berths, including seven from the 2023 season: Joel Bitonio, Amari Cooper, Myles Garrett, David Njoku, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Wyatt Teller and Denzel Ward.

They’ve also produced three first-team All-Pros in Garrett, Bitonio and Jack Conklin.

At the NFL annual meetings in March, Jimmy Haslam acknowledged that extensions for the two were “close,” and delivered high praise.

“The NFL is a highly pressured situation,” Haslam said. “And the two of them, I can’t imagine, and there may be other coaches and GMs that get along better than them, but I can’t imagine two people in that situation that work together better than the two of them do. And I say this all the time, and Paul, I mean the three of them work together extremely well. And so that makes our job much easier.”

Haslam noted that Stefanski and Berry are so much mature that it’s easy to forget how young they are.

“But just another year on the job helps anybody, particularly when you’re younger,” Haslam said. “And number two, they never bat an eye. Deshaun (Watson’s) out for the year, here’s what we’re going to do. Nick Chubb’s out for the year, here’s what we’re going to do. Jack Conklin’s out for the year, here’s what we’re going to do. And they don’t panic. And I think we appreciate that. But more importantly, the players see it and they go, ‘okay, they have a plan. They’re going to put us in position to win.’ And whether it’s Kevin coming up with a different scheme or Andrew going out and getting certain players to help us, I mean, they have to work in tandem. And they do that very well.

Dee Haslam said their unflappability is reflected in the entire organization.

“I mean, you can see it among the coaching staff – nobody ever really overreacts,” she said. “It’s calm. Everybody works through the problem together. And we’ve had our challenges.”

Likewise, Berry expressed his appreciation for the Haslams at the meetings for giving them everything they need to do their jobs.

“I would say to Jimmy and Dee, they’ve been fantastic,” Berry said. “I don’t think that they get enough credit for their ownership of the Browns. They’re incredibly supportive, they’re great with resources, they push where appropriate. But I think the thing that often goes overlooked or not said enough is as much as they push their people, they really care about them as people. We’re not just commodities so to speak. And that’s something that means a lot to me. I know it means a lot to Kevin and we’re fortunate to have good ownership here.”

Berry joked that “it depends on the week and the year” if he envisions himself in this role for a long, long time.

“There are only 32 of these jobs and I’m fortunate enough to be able to do it in a really good place with really good people,” he said. “It comes with extraordinary challenges. But I always tell my family, I visit my parents in Atlanta after this, and the way I look at this job is it’s an incredible life experience. And that’s like with the good stuff and the bad stuff.

“And it’s pretty cool because you learn a number of new skills seemingly every year … So from that aspect, I love the subject matter. I love the people that I work with. I love how much I learn on a yearly basis. I feel like every year I go, it makes me realize just how little I know and that’s pretty cool. Something that kind of stretches you and forces you to grow.”

Stefanski, a growth-mindset coach who’s called plays his first four seasons, has made the necessary changes along the way. In 2023, he completely overhauled the defensive staff, hiring Jim Schwartz as coordinator and paving the way for the No. 1 defense in the NFL. This offseason, he overhauled the entire offensive staff, hiring former Browns quarterback Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator, and is at least contemplating handing over play-calling duties.

Of course, the bar is set at a Super Bowl trophy for Stefanski and Berry in the second leg of their tenure. It will depend largely on how their big investment, Watson, fares this season coming off surgery to repair the fractured shoulder, and how he plays in the final three years of his $46 million a year contract.

But two playoff berths in four years, and a two Coach of the Year awards are an excellent place to start.