The Ravens have completed an interview with former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski for their head coach opening.
Here are five things to know about Stefanski:
He is a two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year.
Stefanski, 43, posted a 45-56 record during his six seasons as the Cleveland Browns' head coach.
While the past two years were a struggle with a combined record of 8-26, Stefanski took the Browns to the playoffs twice during his tenure with a pair of 11-win seasons.
In his first season in the job in 2020, the Browns went to the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and won their first playoff game (in Pittsburgh) since 1994.
In 2023, the Browns won four games in a row in December to surge into the playoffs. Joe Flacco was the starting quarterback and Jerome Ford was the leading rusher.
For those two seasons, Stefanski was named the Associated Press Coach of the Year, joining a short list of multi-time winners that most recently includes Ron Rivera and Bruce Arians.
He had good runs in Cleveland and Minnesota.
The Browns have been largely defined by turnover since returning to Cleveland in 1999. They burned through 10 full-time head coaches in the 21 seasons since.
That's until Stefanski arrived, as his instant success helped change the culture in Cleveland and put the team on the track to success.
No coach lasted as long as Stefanski's six seasons in Cleveland since Sam Rutigliano, who coached from 1978-1984. Only two men in Browns history coached more games – Paul Brown and Blanton Collier.
Stefanski has sticking power. Before going to Cleveland, he worked for 14 years with the Minnesota Vikings, rising from being an assistant to the head coach to offensive coordinator. Stefanski survived three head coaching changes, and the Vikings denied an interview request from the Giants when they were interested in hiring him as their offensive coordinator in 2018.
Stefanski is an offensive guy, but not always the play-caller.
Stefanski was a defensive back in college at Penn, but he's been an offensive-leaning coach.
He started under longtime offensive coordinator Brad Childress, then worked his way up the Vikings organization as a tight ends, running backs, and then quarterbacks coach before being named their full-time offensive coordinator in 2019.
In his first year on the job, the Vikings offense jumped from 19th in scoring to eighth, averaging 25.4 points per game. The Browns hired him as their head coach following that breakout season.
Stefanski was the Browns' offensive play-caller for much of his tenure in Cleveland, but he was willing to change course.
He turned over those duties to Ken Dorsey midway through the 2024 season after the offense got off to a slow start. He resumed playcalling at the start of the 2025 season but again handed over that responsibility to Tommy Rees down the stretch.
Stefanski hasn't had consistency at quarterback.
The Browns had 13 different starting quarterbacks during Stefanski's tenure. That's more than two per season, including three this season (Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders).
Stefanski's first quarterback in Cleveland was Baker Mayfield, but after a tough 2021 season, they made a massive trade for Deshaun Watson and traded Mayfield to Carolina.
The Watson mega-deal flopped, leaving Stefanski and the Browns once again searching for answers at quarterback that didn't materialize.
That wouldn't be an issue in Baltimore with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson in place.
Stefanski is regarded as a high-character coach.
Stefanski's firing was somewhat surprising in Cleveland, considering he had guided the team to more success than it had in decades.
After the decision was announced, Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said, "We have tremendous gratitude for Kevin's leadership of the Cleveland Browns over the last six seasons. He is a good football coach and an even better person."
Stefanski and General Manager Andrew Berry reportedly had a strong relationship working in tandem at the top of the organization.
"This was a difficult decision and today is a tough day for our organization because of the impact Kevin has had and the deep, meaningful relationships he has built across our building," Berry said. "We have great respect for Kevin, who has led our organization through both unique and challenging circumstances over his six seasons. Over that time, he has been more than a coach but also a partner, friend and stabilizing force for our team. He has always led authentically and cared deeply for Browns players, coaches and staff all while investing every ounce of energy into improving the team daily."
