Kevin Stefanski heads south, but the Cleveland Browns haven't seen the last of their former head coach
Former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is trading in buckeyes for peaches.
The 43-year-old headman was officially offered and accepted the Atlanta Falcons head coach job on Saturday night. It was a move that gained plenty of momentum over the last 24 hours, with the franchise hosting Stefanski for a second interview on Saturday.
It turned into a conversation to push the decision to the finish line, as Stefanski bowed out of several other searches to accept the Atlanta job.
It didn't take long for Stefanski to find a new home. He was fired by Cleveland one day after the regular season, on Monday Jan. 5 and had a new job locked up in less than two weeks.
With nine teams currently in the market for a head coach, including Cleveland, Stefanski became the second coach hired this cycle, behind only ex-Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who finalized a deal with the New York Giants on Saturday, as well.
Ironically enough, with the Browns slated to play the NFC South next season, the Falcons are part of their 2026 regular-season slate, which means Stefanski will make a return trip to Cleveland at some point next fall. It's a storyline the NFL could potentially try to maximize as a Week 1 matchup (or should). Of course, the official 2026 schedule won't be revealed until mid-May.
While Stefanski finds a new home, the Browns continue their own search for his successor. So far, Cleveland's brass has held initial interviews with nine different candidates.
That list includes two internal options in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and current offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, along with Ravens OC Todd Monken, Bengals OC Dan Pitcher, Seahawks DC Aden Durde, former Dolphins head man Mike McDaniel, Rams pass game specialist Nate Scheelhaase, Chargers DC Jesse Minter and Jaguars OC Grant Udinski.
Team sources confirmed that Schwartz is expected to have a second interview lined up next week. Rees, meanwhile, is not, making him a likely candidate to join Stefanski in Atlanta if he's not retained by the next head coach.
It's fair to assume other coaches currently on Cleveland's staff will follow Rees and join Stefanski in Atlanta, once their futures become clearer.