Pro Football Rumors
As smoke about the Browns moving on from Kevin Stefanski has emerged, Andrew Berry continues to skate by without many indications his job is in jeopardy. As the Browns wrap another disappointing season, they do not appear ready to fire their GM.
Despite the Browns being 7-26 over the past two seasons and still on the hook for the Deshaun Watson contractual catastrophe, Berry remains the point man. He is on track to be retained for a seventh year, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano write. The veteran GM has operated like someone who believes he is coming back, per Fowler, with Graziano adding he has received “no indication” a Cleveland GM change is coming.
A November report indicated a chance at a housecleaning exists, but were the Berry-Stefanski duo to be split, the GM would be more likely to stay. Meddling from ownership also has been rumored during Berry’s tenure. That is certainly not out of character for how Jimmy Haslam operated in the early years of his tenure, though the oft-criticized owner has refrained from impulse firings this decade — after a slew of quick-trigger decisions in the 2010s. Berry and Stefanski have been in place since 2020; both received extensions before the 2024 season.
It can be argued Berry is more at fault for where the Browns are than Stefanski. After all, the sixth-year HC is a two-time Coach of the Year who has made his offense work with a few quarterbacks. Watson was not one of those, and the five-year, $230MM contract has defined this regime’s run. In 2022, Haslam said Berry hatched the scheme to fully guarantee Watson’s contract. The owner has not retracted this, but he did admit an organizational mistake on Watson this offseason. Berry also said Browns brass was aligned on Watson when discussing the controversial trade last year.
The QB was believed to be headed to Atlanta before the Browns reentered the race with their outlier guarantee. Berry remaining employed nearly four years after the team authorized the worst contract in NFL history on his watch does point to Haslam being hands-on for that move. Watson’s contract has veered into the MLB/NBA sunk-cost stratum, with the dead money — thanks in large part to many Berry-authorized restructures — so massive it appears the Browns will be forced to retain him in 2026 as well.
The Browns look to have also identified some pieces in this draft, having seen Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin enjoy quality rookie seasons. That lot of Day 2 draftees came after the team moved out of the Travis Hunter slot, adding additional first- and second-round capital to do so, to select defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5. Pro Football Focus has Graham 34th among over 100 interior D-line regulars this season. This has not translated to wins, but ownership may believe Berry can guide the Browns out of the mess they have created.
This is Berry’s second stint in Cleveland. He was in place...
