Sources: Browns hiring Monken as new coach

The Cleveland Browns are hiring former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken to be their next head coach, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Monken, who turns 60 on Feb. 5, replaces Kevin Stefanski, who was fired on Jan. 5 after six seasons in Cleveland. The Browns finished 5-12 this past season and have an 8-26 record since last reaching the playoffs in the 2023 season.

With Cleveland hiring Monken as its head coach, it now leaves the New York Giants and their head coach John Harbaugh in search of a new offensive coordinator. Many expected Monken to follow Harbaugh to New York if he was not hired as a head coach.

Monken, who had spent the past three seasons in Baltimore and was not retained on new Ravens coach Jesse Minter’s staff, will become the franchise’s 11th full-time coach since returning to the NFL in 1999, which trails only the Las Vegas Raiders (13) during that span. He previously served as offensive coordinator of the Browns in the 2019 season on Freddie Kitchens’ staff.

Monken was one of five candidates with whom the Browns held in-person interviews, along with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Jacksonville Jaguars OC Grant Udinski, Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and Washington Commanders run game coordinator/running backs coach Anthony Lynn. Udinski, who interviewed last Friday, withdrew his name from consideration, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Cleveland scheduled second, in-person interviews with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator, but both withdrew their name from consideration; McDaniel joined the Chargers as their new offensive coordinator, and Minter agreed to terms with the Ravens.

Monken, a longtime assistant with more than three decades of experience in the college and NFL ranks, will embark on his first opportunity as an NFL head coach. He was the head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi from 2013 to 2015, registering a 13-25 regular season record. In 2015, Monken guided the program to a 9-5 season, an appearance in the Heart of Dallas Bowl and was named Conference USA Coach of the Year. He then left to be the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he served in the role for the next three seasons.

Monken arrived in Baltimore after a successful three-year run as the offensive coordinator at the University of Georgia, where he contributed to the Bulldogs winning back-to-back national championships in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

In Monken’s first season with the Ravens, he helped quarterback Lamar Jackson win his second Most Valuable Player award. The following season, Baltimore finished with the No. 1 offense for the first time in franchise history.

Monken’s NFL experience also includes a three-year stint as wide receivers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2007 to 2010.

In Cleveland, Monken will be tasked with rebuilding an offense that ranks last in scoring over the previous two seasons (15.8 points per game). Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees joined Stefanski’s staff with the Atlanta Falcons in the same role. Wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea is also joining the Kansas City Chiefs in the same capacity.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry, who led the head coaching search, said at his end-of-season news conference that the offense would have «significant investment» in the offseason. He also said the new head coach will have a say in the decision at quarterback. Deshaun Watson, who did not play in 2025 as he rehabbed a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in October 2024, is expected to be on the roster in 2026. He would rejoin a quarterback room that also includes Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, who started six and seven games, respectively, as rookies.

Monken will inherit a defense that has been one of the NFL’s best units in the previous three seasons. Since the arrival of Schwartz in 2023, the Browns’ defense has allowed the fewest yards per game (298.6) and posted the best third-down conversion rate (33.8%) in the league. Defensive end Myles Garrett has also won a Defensive Player of the Year award under Schwartz in 2020. Garrett is the overwhelming favorite to win his second DPOY award at NFL Honors next week after recording 23 sacks and breaking the NFL’s single-season sack record.

It’s unclear if Monken will retain Schwartz; owner Jimmy Haslam previously said he «absolutely» would like to keep Schwartz in the organization. Berry, while saying he is satisfied with the state of the defense, added that staff decisions will be the «prerogative» of the new head coach.

The Browns hold the sixth and 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, as well as 10 total picks.