The Las Vegas Raiders are filling out their coaching staff, and new coach Klint Kubiak is mostly focused on raiding his old staff, with candidates from the Seattle Seahawks emerging right and left.
But there are some intriguing other names of coaches who aren’t from the Pacific Northwest, and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz of the Cleveland Browns is one of them. Schwartz has been involved in a coaching kerfuffle with the Browns, but according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Schwartz could still be in play to become the new defensive coordinator, so it’s worth exploring the backstory here.
It reads more like a soap opera, actually. Schwartz, who’s one of those feisty, fiery types who always seems to be feuding with someone over something, was rankled because he didn’t get the head coaching job in Cleveland after the Browns fired Kevin Stefanski. So Schwartz resigned a couple of weeks ago, which wasn’t all that surprising on the surface.
There are some intriguing details to the story, though. Schwartz is still under contract with Cleveland for 2026, with a team option for 2027. The Browns haven’t released him to sign with another team, and according to Florio, assistant coaches can’t be traded.
The Browns hired former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monkey to be their new head coach, and Florio said Schwartz was “livid” when he didn’t get the job, given that he was a finalist, and there were a lot of folks around the NFL predicting he’d return to the head coaching ranks.
Still, the rumors of Schwartz to the Raiders as defensive coordinator, and Florio says there’s interest on both sides. It is possible that compensation for Schwartz could be included in a separate deal between the two teams, according to Florio, either before or after the Browns finally release Schwartz’s right.
Schwartz still has another card he might play, however. He could pull the old “quit and return” move, information the Browns he’s changed his mind after Monken hires his new defensive coordinator.
That would put Cleveland in a tough spot. They’d have to bring him back or cut him loose, or they could possibly do nothing, which Florio says would likely get the league office involved.
The most intriguing aspect of this situation is that Schwartz would be a perfect fit with Kubiak. He’d likely build the same kind of attacking defense that carried Seattle to the Super Bowl, although Kubiak might want to watch his back if he struggles and he hears rumors that a certain defensive coordinator is hot for his job.