Pat McAfee makes bold claim about Kevin Stefanski’s job status with Browns

Kevin Stefanski is under fire after mismanaging the end of Cleveland’s meltdown against the Vikings on Sunday.

The Browns lost 21-17 in a game where they had the lead and the football with three minutes to go. Rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel played a clean game and Cleveland’s defense created two turnovers, proving that the team did enough to win and causing fans to question their head coach.

But ESPN analyst and former NFL punter Pat McAfee does not think Kevin Stefanski or Andrew Berry are getting fired because of Sunday’s mistake in London.

“I do know Stefanski and Berry are going to be given a lot of opportunity because I don’t think it was their decision to give the most amount of money guaranteed in the history of anybody,” McAfee said. “Dillon Gabriel looked good, I thought they’d be a little more positive.”

McAfee and co-host A.J. Hawk were reacting to a social media post from an angry Browns fan that was upset about Stefanski mismanaging the clock at the end of the game. While McAfee admitted that he missed the end of the game, he feels confident that Stefanski and Berry are not going anywhere because they are not being held accountable for the Deshaun Watson trade.

“If you get a win they’d be more positive,” Hawk said. “The fact that they lost a game that people thought they should have won… then you’re going to get the Browns fans that say of course, this is what happens. This is what we do.”

Browns fans aren't happy with Kevin Stefanski 😂#IDontWantToOverreactBUT #PMSLive https://t.co/u6tYyQhOp5 pic.twitter.com/Fu6nvJisxZ
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 6, 2025

McAfee and Hawk would go on to speculate if Watson would suit up for Cleveland this season since he’s approaching medical clearance – but neither of them had an answer as to if the Browns would actually put him back on the field.

This offseason, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam called the trade for Watson “a big swing and a miss,” likely signaling the end of his tenure in Cleveland. However, Watson’s entire 2026 salary is fully guaranteed, causing some speculation on if the Browns would just decide to play him if their season is truly a lost cause.

If Haslam was responsible for the highly-criticized trade of Watson, both Stefanski and Berry will likely have longer leashes in Cleveland than other coaches and executives would.

At the end of the day, the Browns are a team absent of three first-round picks and $230 million in cap space where they could have improved their roster.

Regardless of who wanted to make the trade, the Browns have to live in a reality where they chased Baker Mayfield out of Cleveland, and he looks like an MVP candidate while their own quarterback situation remains unresolved. It feels like somebody has to be responsible for that.