The Cleveland Browns saw a contentious situation when they had to choose between replacing head coach Kevin Stefanski with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz or an external candidate. The organization ultimately opted for an external hire, acquiring Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Schwartz, for one, opened up on why he subsequently resigned.
Jim Schwartz Felt Betrayed When Browns Hired Todd Monken As HC
The Browns finally parted ways with Stefanski after six seasons, in which he recorded only two winning campaigns. While he got a playoff push out of quarterback Baker Mayfield, his stint in Ohio was marred by a lack of success.
When he was shown the door following Cleveland’s 5-12 2025 season, players on the team were said to be excited about Schwartz taking over. His defenses in Cleveland were a bright spot on a bad team, logging PFSN Defense Impact ratings north of 80 over the last three years, including a 93.5 score in 2023.
As such, the players wanted to see him take on a bigger role in the franchise. However, the Browns’ top brass instead went with Monken, who had worked with superstar Lamar Jackson in Baltimore for the last three seasons.
Schwartz resigned soon after and has now explained his reasoning.
“We had a lot of success on defense, and the Browns made a change at head coach, and they passed over me, with all the success that we had and the ability to develop players — our best players had their best years, all those different things,” he said. “[But] they wanted to go with an offensive guy. They chose Todd. I’m fine with that. They can make decisions that they wanna make, but they can’t expect me to stay on board for that.”
The success Schwartz had with the Browns’ defense over the last three years gave him a strong standing in the locker room, which is essential to a coach’s continued success. However, after being passed over for the head coaching position, the DC felt the locker room dynamic had changed.
“Anybody that’s in any business, you get passed over for a promotion when you’ve done a really good job, and you think you’re in line for that promotion, it’s time to go,” he added. “Todd deserves his own guy. A forced marriage isn’t gonna work in the NFL. Having command of the players and command of the locker room is extremely important, and I didn’t think that I can do my job after getting passed over for the head coaching job.”
The coach has yet to decide on his next career move, as he hasn’t signed with a new team for the 2026 season. With preseason camp well underway, it seems unlikely that he’ll be part of the league before 2027.
