The Cleveland Browns are hiring Todd Monken as their new head coach, the team announced Wednesday.
Monken spent the last three seasons as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator. The 2024 Baltimore offense led the NFL in total yards and yards per play. Monken was the Browns’ offensive coordinator under then-head coach Freddie Kitchens in 2019, a season that ended with the entire coaching staff and front office getting fired.
Monken, who turns 60 next week, has 11 years of NFL coaching experience. His only previous head-coaching experience was at Southern Miss from 2013 to 2015, a job he left to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator in 2016.
“Todd is highly intelligent, and his experienced, innovative offensive mindset has been at the forefront of constructing productive and successful offenses at the NFL and collegiate level over the last 20 years,” team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam said in a statement. “He is an outstanding leader and has a clear vision to lead our team as a strong communicator who values trust with his players, but also accountability and preparation.”
The Browns requested an interview with Monken before the Ravens’ shakeup, which ended with John Harbaugh being fired after 18 years as head coach.
After firing head coach Kevin Stefanski on Jan. 5, the Browns conducted nine interviews in the first wave of their search and then held in-person interviews with five candidates: Monken, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and Washington Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn.
The Browns interviewed Lynn in South Florida on Saturday. On Sunday, the team’s interview committee flew from Florida to Southern California for Monday’s interview with Scheelhaase, who became eligible for a second interview after the Rams’ loss in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.
The committee returned to Cleveland on Monday night and finalized Monken’s hire on Wednesday.
“In our committee’s exhaustive reference work on Todd, his commitment to player development was evident,” the Haslams said in the statement. “His tough and straightforward coaching is respected by the players and the coaches he’s worked with, putting our team in a position to succeed while developing our players to maximize their talents.”
It’s believed that Monken, Schwartz, and Scheelhaase were considered the finalists. By choosing Monken, the Browns select a respected offensive mind with experience. Monken has seven previous seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator and served three years as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Georgia between his stints in Cleveland and Baltimore.
We’ll now see whether Monken chooses to retain Schwartz, who has overseen one of the NFL’s best defenses over the last three years despite the Browns’ offensive struggles.
Stefanski was the head coach for six seasons and was fired after winning eight games over his final two years. Stefanski was the longest-tenured coach of the team’s post-1999 era and the first new-era coach to lead the Browns to two playoff appearances. The Atlanta Falcons hired Stefanski as their new head coach on Jan. 17.
The Browns chose to keep general manager Andrew Berry, and team owner Jimmy Haslam said Berry would lead the coaching search. Berry now must work with Monken in trying to address and patch glaring holes across the Browns’ offensive roster.
In the coming months, the Browns might need to rebuild their offensive line while also upgrading the receiving corps and finding stability at quarterback. The Browns had five different starting quarterbacks in 2023, four in 2024 and three last season. Shedeur Sanders started the final seven games of his rookie season and went 3-4. Deshaun Watson is almost sure to be back for 2026, the final year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract, after missing all of 2025 while recovering from a twice-torn right Achilles tendon.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson won his second NFL MVP award in Monken’s first season in Baltimore in 2023, and in 2024 Jackson had a career-high 4,172 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes. The Browns have 35 touchdown passes over the last two seasons combined.
Monken will now begin building a coaching staff. Even if he wants to keep Schwartz — or if his new bosses mandate that — the NFL’s Rooney Rule applies to hires at offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Browns must hold at least two in-person coordinator interviews with external candidates and at least one with a quarterbacks coach candidate.
It’s not yet known whether Monken plans to call the plays or leave the play calling to someone else.