Cleveland Browns Add High School Football Coach to Todd Monken’s Coaching Staff

The Browns have hired another coach under Todd Monken's reign, but took an interesting route to find their man this time.

Todd Monken, the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, discusses how he will approach the game during his introductory press conference at the team's training facility, Feb. 3, 2026. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Browns are taking every approach possible to filling out Todd Monken’s new offensive staff after losing a large amount of personnel following Kevin Stefanski’s departure.

While most teams look to add coaching talent that is already in the NFL or even dipping down to the college level, the Browns have decided to look in a different direction for their most recent hire.

John Carr, a high school football coach from Starkville, Mississippi, will be joining Monken’s staff for the 2026 NFL season as the Chief of Staff.

NEW: Starkville high school (MS) head coach John Carr is joining the Cleveland Browns’ staff, @robbiefaulkOn3 reports.

Read: https://t.co/zE1M0l4bJg pic.twitter.com/rY6tw3s93y

— Rivals High School (@RivalsHS) February 5, 2026

Carr's Resume

Carr coached at Starkville for just one season, leading the team to a 6-5 record and a playoff appearance. They lost in the first round of Mississippi’s Class 7A playoffs. Carr also coached at Clinton, where he went 4-6 in his lone season.

Now before those jobs, Carr had many different coaching opportunities spanning several decades. He coached at six different colleges, including the University of Southern Mississippi, University of Louisiana at Monroe and Troy University. He also coached eight seasons at Ouachita Parish, where he amassed a 72-28 record.

Carr has never made it to the NFL before as a coach or a player. He has been removed for several years from college as well. However, that is in large part due to Carr saying the Starkville job was the best in the state. He stated he would regularly turn down college and high school offers in favor of the job, with the NFL being the only thing that would convince him to leave.

Now he’ll finally get his chance to make a name for himself at the highest level.

What is a Chief of Staff?

Chief of Staff is not a typical NFL position, with several teams either not having one designated, or having another member of staff double up on the roles.

They typically serve as an assistant to the head coach or general manager, helping coordinate operations between different departments like the front office, the rest of the coaching staff, the scouting team, etc. 

Carr will be working closely with Monken and Andrew Berry to help make sure Cleveland’s practices and offseason can be as maximized and efficient as possible. 

Fans may remember Callie Brownson, who served as a Chief of Staff in Cleveland from 2020-22. She was soon promoted to be an assistant wide receiver coach, where she would remain for two more seasons. In 2025 she left the Browns to USA Football as a senior director.

It’s a risky move to bring someone straight to the NFL like that, but hopefully it’s one that proves beneficial to a Cleveland team looking to turn things around this season.