Cleveland Browns are a completely different franchise than they were even five years ago and that started at the top.
General manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski are on the brink of doing something that hasn’t happened in a while with the Browns. Both are nearing contract extensions, according to owner Jimmy Haslam.
"We're in the process of working through things so Kevin and Andrew can be with us for an extended period of time," Jimmy Haslam said at league meetings on Monday.
The 2023 season was the third time the Browns had made the playoffs since 1999 and it was the second time they had done so with Berry and Stefanski at the helm. Despite all of the injuries they were plagued with, the Browns still made the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
"I think one, just another year the job helps anybody, particularly when you're younger," Jimmy Haslam said. "And number two, they never bat an eye. Deshaun's out for the year, here's what we're going to do. Nick Chubb's out for the year, here's what we're going to do. Jack Conklin's out for the year, here's what we're going to do. And they don't panic. And I think we appreciate that. But more importantly, the players see it and they go, 'Okay, they have a plan. They're going to put us in position to win'. And whether it's Kevin coming up with a different scheme or Andrew going out and getting certain players to help us, I mean, they have to work in tandem. And they do that very well."
Since coming in, the Browns are 37-30 with the two leading the franchise. It is the most winning they’ve done in a four-year stretch since the 1980s.
Continuity is now important for the Browns to keep building in the right direction and that means keeping key pieces around.
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