Browns have eyes on the first coach they want to interview for its vacancy – and it could lead to a major loss for an AFC North rival

The Browns have requested to interview their first candidate to be the next head coach after firing Kevin Stefanski.

Brandon Little — Ohio State Buckeyes & Cleveland Browns News Writer
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The Cleveland Browns moved quickly on Monday to fire Kevin Stefanski as their head coach following the end of their 5-12 2025 season. Stefanski spent six years as the head coach of the Browns — and Cleveland is now looking to hire head coach No. 12 since the year 2000. 

Just one day after moving on from Stefanski, the Browns already have their eye on who they want to interview first. 

Browns request to interview Baltimore Ravens OC Todd Monken 

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Browns have requested to interview Ravens OC Todd Monken for their open head coaching job. Monken was the offensive coordinator for the Browns for one season in 2019 — and has been with the Ravens since 2023 calling plays there. 

Monken is a proven offensive mind who has had success at both the college and pro levels. Cleveland going with an offense-minded head coach would be no surprise to keep Jim Schwartz intact as the defensive coordinator. The old saying If it’s not broken don’t fix it could ring true in this situation. 

Before joining the Ravens in 2023 — Monken was the offensive coordinator of the Georgia Bulldogs for three seasons — and helped them win two national championships. The 59-year-old current assistant was previously an offensive coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as a wide receivers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Monken’s experience in college includes stops at LSU, Oklahoma State, Louisiana Tech, Eastern Michigan, and Notre Dame as an assistant. 

The Browns can only interview coaches who are out of the playoffs or unemployed right now. The Tuesday following the wild-card round will be the first time the Browns can interview coaches from teams playing in that round. 

Monken popping up as the first candidate the Browns are interested in is worth noting. The attention turns to when that interview takes place now, and what other candidates the Browns are interested in. 

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