- NFL. Kyle Shanahan indirectly called soft by former player: Is he the reason for 49ers injuries?
- NFL. Chiefs owner reveals major news on Patrick Mahomes' future in Kansas City
After much deliberation and a longer process than most other NFL franchises, the Cleveland Browns have made their head coach hire. Kevin Stefanski is out and on to the Atlanta Falcons. In his place, the Browns have named Todd Monken their new head coach, which could be good or bad news for Shedeur Sanders' future with the team.
Monken is a well-respected offensive-minded coach in football circles. He has bounced around the NFL and college football, crafting very successful offenses, particularly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Georgia Bulldogs and, most recently, the Baltimore Ravens. While an offense-centric head coach should be good for Sanders, Monken's past raises some questions.
Todd Monken's first stint with the Browns was an abject disaster
Monken has actually already had a stint in Cleveland before. He was named the offensive coordinator of the Browns under head coach Freddie Kitchens in 2019. It was not a great year for the Browns, as they went 6-10 and Kitchens was fired after just one season at the helm. Monken was shown the door along with Kitchens, although he landed on his feet at Georgia.
Related:
- Super Bowl 2026: Date, time, location, and everything to know
- Where to watch the Super Bowl 2026? TV channel and streaming
- Super Bowl Halftime Show 2026: Everything about Bad Bunny's performance
- How much do tickets for the Super Bowl cost in 2026?
- Super Bowl Winners List: All teams that have won the Vince Lombardi
With Monken's previous experience with the Cleveland franchise in the magnifying glass, his comments about the team have come back to haunt him. He had called the Browns a "total mess" following his departure.
In fairness to Monken, he was more perturbed by the way Kitchens was running things. Clearly, there were differing philosophies, and Monken felt he wasn't being allowed to do his job. Surprisingly, current Browns general manager Andrew Berry was actually not in favor of hiring Kitchens in the first place.
Andrew Berry hired Todd Monken, but never wanted to hire Freddie Kitchens in 2019
According to insider Jason La Canfora, Berry and former chief strategy office Paul DePodesta voted against hiring Kitchens. The GM at the time, John Dorsey, voted yes, as did owner Jimmy Haslam.
"That six-person party was involved in all of the interviews and when the interviews were complete, each had a voice in "voting" essentially for the candidate of their choosing, sources said. In the end, only DePodesta and Berry tallied a dissenting vote when it came down to the finalists, with Kitchens prevailing by a 4-2 margin. Dorsey made it clear he believe he could forge an immediate strong working relationship with Kitchens."
Now, Haslam is signing off on hiring Monken, more than a half-decade after the Kitchens debacle. There doesn't appear to be any lingering feelings from that era, and Monken can start anew. But it's fair to wonder if he still feels the same way about how things are being run.