ORLANDO, Fla. — Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski could be here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam said at the NFL Annual League Meeting that they are close to contract extensions with both Berry and Stefanski.
"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.
The Browns went 11-6 in 2023 and earned a playoff berth for the first time since 2020. It was the second time Cleveland has made the playoffs with the pair at the helm of the Browns, and the third playoff berth since the team's return in 1999.
Berry and Stefanski also managed a particularly tough season on the injury front in 2023, beginning in Week 1 when they lost T Jack Conklin to a season ending injury, and then in Week 2 with star RB Nick Chubb. QB Deshaun Watson dealt with injuries and underwent shoulder surgery that also ended his season in November. They started five different quarterbacks over the course of the season and relied on both backups and young players to step in and help the Browns win games.
And yet, through it all, Jimmy and Dee Haslam saw how both Berry and Stefanksi handled the situation and led the team to the playoffs.
"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."
"It's reflected in our entire organization," Dee Haslam added. "I mean, you can see it among the coaching staff – nobody ever really overreacts. It's calm. Everybody works through the problem together."
Since 2020, the Browns are 37-30 (.552), the highest-winning percentage for the team over a four-year stretch since 1986-89.
The 11 regular-season wins in 2023 tied for the second-most in team history, trailing only the 1986 team's 12 wins. Stefanski also joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Paul Brown (1951 and 1953) as the only coaches in team history to record multiple seasons with at least 11 regular season wins, which he did in 2020 and 2023.
Stefanski was named the 2020 NFL Coach of the Year and joined Forrest Gregg (1976) as the second coach in franchise history to earn the honor. He then earned his second Coach of the Year award in four years in 2023.
Over the last four years, the Haslams have seen how Berry and Stefanski complement one another and have built the Browns in this stretch. And that gives them confidence moving forward.
"NFL is a highly pressured situation," Jimmy Haslam said. "And the two of them, I can't imagine – there may be other coaches and GMs that get along better than them – but I can't imagine two people in that situation that work together better than the two of them do. And I say this all the time, and Paul (DePodesta), I mean the three of them work together extremely well. And so that makes our job much easier."
