Browns could regret letting Kevin Stefanski go with his potential backup plan

As the Cleveland Browns consider what to do with head coach Kevin Stefanski, his backup plan could end up back firing Cleveland with a better option for him.

Nov 16, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski on the sidelines during warmups prior to a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns are still mulling over what to do with head coach Kevin Stefanski, as his job status is up in the air.

Over the last two years, Stefanski has won just seven games, which has made the next few days so intriguing for the Browns fan base as they try to figure out if keeping him or letting him go is the best option. ESPN's Jordan Raanan shared a list of candidates for the open New York Giants head coaching job, and Stefanski is a wild card to land a job there.

"Kevin Stefanski is a name to watch. He will attract serious interest from the Giants if he's fired by the Browns."

It hasn't been all that bad for Stefanski as the Browns won double-digit games twice in his first four seasons and made the playoffs both seasons. Cleveland was 1-2 in the postseason under Stefanski as head coach.

Bad decisions like mortgaging the future for quarterback Deshaun Watson finally backfired on the Browns over the last two years as the team has gone 7-26 in that span. Technically, the 2025 season is an improvement for Cleveland as they won four games, one more than last season.

While Stefanski isn't getting all the blame for the horrendous decision to trade multiple draft picks to the Houston Texans and give Watson a fully guaranteed contract, the head coach will always receive some of the blame. It doesn't mean every NFL team will feel the same way.

Letting Stefanski walk to the Giants to be their head coach would be a massive mistake for the Browns. That New York team has young talent all over the roster with Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattabo, Malik Nabors, and Dexter Lawrence all there.

Cleveland has its own young talent looking great for the future, with Quinshon Judkins, Carson Schwesinger, Mason Graham, Harold Fannin Jr., and Shedeur Sanders. It would be a shame to let that go to waste when Stefanski can work with that talent, and the team has the best pass rusher in the game in Myles Garrett.

The coaching carousel does not feature as many big-name prospects as there were last offseason, which might make it more difficult for the Browns to move on from Stefanski. Giving him one more year in Cleveland might end up being the safer move because he could go somewhere like the Giants and transform that team as he did for the Browns five years ago.