Former Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz addressed his departure from the franchise in an interview on the “Ryan Ripken Show” Tuesday, saying the idea of staying after the Browns passed him over for their head coaching job this offseason wasn’t going to work.
Schwartz, whose defense ranked among the NFL’s top five last season in sacks and yards allowed, was a finalist in Cleveland’s search for a new head coach following the firing of Kevin Stefanski. The Browns, however, decided to prioritize the other side of the ball, hiring former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken in January. Schwartz announced his resignation the following month after three seasons with the team.
Though Schwartz said during the “Ryan Ripken Show” interview that he wasn’t mad about missing out on the job, he said remaining on staff after the publicized hiring saga would have created a “tough situation.”
“Anybody that’s in any business, you get passed over for promotion when you’ve done a really, really good job in your job, and you think you were in line for that promotion, it’s time to go. And Todd deserved his own guy,” Schwartz said. “I mean, a forced marriage isn’t going to work in the NFL. And, you know, having command of the players and having commanded a locker room, all those things are extremely important. And I didn’t feel like I could do my job after getting passed over for the head coaching job.”
Cleveland is in the midst of another reconfiguration, with Monken entering his second stint with the organization after serving as offensive coordinator in 2019. The Browns still lack a clear starting quarterback, and on Monday, they traded away reigning Defensive Player of the Year and team cornerstone Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. Former Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg is taking over in Schwartz’s place.
Schwartz will not coach in the NFL this year, as he remains under contract with the Browns.
“To expect me to stay and to be me, be on board for that, that’s just the tough situation. And it wouldn’t have been good for me, and it wouldn’t have been good for Todd,” Schwartz said. “It was best for him to get his own guy in there and to move forward with him, as opposed to just having an arranged marriage and having me there and maybe having some players more loyal to me than him.”
Jim Schwartz on the Browns Head Coaching job:
“They wanted to go with an offensive guy. They chose Todd. I’m fine with that. They can make decisions that they want to make but they can’t expect me to stay on board for that… a forced marriage isn’t going to work in the NFL…” pic.twitter.com/rrNFkidig8
— Ryan Ripken (@ryanripkenshow) June 2, 2026
Monken was asked about Schwartz’s future during his introductory news conference and said he wasn’t focused on the issue.
“I didn’t take this job because of Jim Schwartz. I have a lot of respect for Jim Schwartz, as I would hope he has for me. But I took it because of the players that are here, the ownership, (general manager) Andrew Berry and the ability to build this roster from the ground up on the offensive side,” Monken said. “When I was preparing for the Cleveland Browns, I wasn’t trying to chip Jim Schwartz. I was chipping Myles Garrett.”
Without Garrett, who just set an NFL single-season record with 23 sacks, Cleveland’s pass rush will depend on star Jared Verse. Verse was a Pro Bowler during both of his first two seasons, and the trade saw the Rams send the Browns a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick.
Monken is set to speak about the blockbuster Garrett trade during a news conference Wednesday.