BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – It took longer than expected but the Browns have extended the contracts of executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski.
It marks the first time under the ownership of the Haslam Sports Group the top football executive and head coach received extensions together and the first extensions for a GM-head coach combination since 2008 when then GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel were extended.
“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 statement. “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.
“Last season was a prime example,” Dee and Jimmy Haslam continued. “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. 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.”
Under the stewardship of Berry and Stefanski the Browns have made the playoffs twice in the last four years, the best such stretch for the franchise since the late 1980’s.
Since both were hired in 2020, the team has gone 37-30, including 24-10 at home.
“I think for Andrew and I, it's a partnership where we're going to, we take our jobs seriously,” Stefanski said. “We 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, that trust in Andrew and I speaks to what we've been able to do, but we have plenty of work to do.”
Stefanski, a two-time NFL coach of the year award winner, is the first head coach to win 11 games in multiple seasons for the Browns since Hall of Fame coach and franchise founder Paul Brown.
Prior to Stefanski’s arrival, the Browns had surpassed 6,000 scrimmage yards in a single season just seven times but they have done it in each of the last four seasons under Stefanski.
For Stefanski, there is no time to reflect or opine on what they have accomplished over the last four years.
“Nothing changes for us,” Stefanski said. “We walk in this building when you're talking about Andrew and myself, and I think every coach, every player, you walk in here and you have a job to do and we focus on that job.”
Since Berry took over the front office the Browns have had 22 total Pro Bowl selections, including five players – who have received multiple selections the last four years.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, a 2021 second round pick, was Berry’s first pick to make the Pro Bowl this past season.
Berry also traded for Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper while also extending the contracts of Pro Bowlers Nick Chubb, Wyatt Teller, Joel Bitonio, Myles Garrett, David Njoku and Denzel Ward in recent years.
“We have work to do,” Stefanski said. “Until you've got that final one checked off, you haven't done it. And that's for us, as you know, there's one goal for every football team, every franchise, and that's, that's where we will keep our sight. Obviously in between you try to win some ball games and do right by the community and those type of things, but we and all 32 clubs, we have one thing in mind.”
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