The Cleveland Browns‘ lengthy head coach search finally came to an end on Wednesday morning when the team decided to hire former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken to come in and be their new leader. The decision was surprising, as many folks believed that Browns’ defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was in line to be promoted to head coach.
With Monken in town, all eyes have turned to Schwartz, whose future with the team is suddenly very much up in the air. Throughout their hiring process, Cleveland made it known to its candidates that it would like Schwartz to remain in place as its head coach, and that hasn’t changed now that Monken has been hired. However, it doesn’t seem like Schwartz is happy to have been passed over for this job.
Jim Schwartz Reportedly Says He’s Not Returning to the Browns
The Browns’ head coach search was so strange because nobody seemed to emerge as a frontrunner for the job. Several of the team’s candidates withdrew from consideration for the position throughout Cleveland’s search, which made it increasingly difficult for the team to lock in on a top target.
In some ways, Schwartz became the top target by default. His work with the Browns’ defense has earned him a lot of fans in Cleveland’s building, but there were some obvious concerns about handing him the job. Schwartz’s calling card is defense, but the team wanted an offensive-minded coach to replace Kevin Stefanski. Beyond that, the Browns reportedly weren’t sold on Schwartz’s plans for the offensive side of the ball if he were to get tabbed as their new head coach.
That led to Monken getting hired over him in what must be described as a very surprising decision. Folks were curious to see how Schwartz would react to this development, and sure enough, he doesn’t appear to be very happy. Reports indicated that Schwartz was “visibly upset” after finding out he wasn’t getting hired, and that he proceeded to tell folks inside the building that would not be returning to the team.
“After the Browns informed DC Jim Schwartz this morning they were passing him over to hire Todd Monken as head coach, Schwartz was visibly upset, said goodbyes in the building and told other coaches he’s not coming back, sources tell The Insiders,” Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported in a post on X. “Schwartz is under contract and Cleveland wants to retain him. But his future is now unclear.”
What Should the Browns Do with Jim Schwartz?
GettyCleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz could leave if he’s not promoted.
Schwartz has good reason to be upset with missing out on the Browns’ head coach job, as he’s done great work on the defensive side of the ball since becoming their defensive coordinator back in 2023. The problem for him when it comes to leaving Cleveland, though, is that he’s still under contract with the team, and it has already come out and said it wants to keep him in town.
With Monken now being hired, Schwartz could look for a job elsewhere, and he shouldn’t have much trouble landing with a new team. The Browns could prevent him from leaving, but that would likely create a slew of issues for Monken that he does not need to deal with early in his stint as their new head coach. As a result, Schwartz’s status is now a big storyline to monitor in Cleveland now that Monken has been brought aboard.
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