Who do the Browns turn to next after Mike McDaniel REJECTS a second interview with the team?

The Browns’ head coaching search hit a snag Tuesday night when Mike McDaniel, one of their most prominent candidates, pulled out of his scheduled interview less than 24 hours before it was set to take place. Even more telling? The former Dolphins head coach opted instead for an offensive coordinator position with the Los Angeles Chargers.

This sudden withdrawal speaks volumes about the current perception of the Browns’ head coaching position — and it’s not painting a flattering picture.

“The reality is, even if he had jobs he just likes better, it’s a problem for the Browns that they weren’t one of those jobs,” Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock pointed out during Tuesday’s Orange and Brown Talk podcast. “And truthfully, it to me, all comes back to the quarterback when you’re talking about an offensive head coach.” | https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2026/01/a-problem-for-the-browns-why-mike-mcdaniels-abrupt-interview-withdrawal-exposes-deeper-issues-for-cleveland.html

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48 comments
  1. The Browns HC job becomes a lot more appealing once Watson's contract is off the books. About $80 mil in cap space next year or about $40 mil for the next two years if they restructure it. Until its off the books the team is hand cuffed and every coach candidate knows it. So, they need someone to be a stop gap coach. Thats why Schwartz is a good candidate.

  2. Was he actually offered the HC job with Cleveland? If he wasn't or you're not sure, how can you say he "rejected" anything? Sometimes I wonder why I watch this show. Probably because it is Ohio and there is nothing else to watch or do in winter

  3. I'm glad McDaniel rejected us as it took the potentially terrible decision to hire him as HC out of AB and Haslem's hands…so in that light I'm happy with it. Bull is completely off on promoting Schwartz as he's the obvious choice. Schwartz is 100% responsible for our defense…remove him from the equation and we'll revert back to the Joe Woods days where our D was a laughing stock. #FireAB2026!

  4. And there you have it Bull finally admitting that he loves to hammer the Browns. He’s not wrong but, it’s nice to finally hear him admit it. Even if it was a Freudian slip. This is something I knew since the first week on the radio. Get rid of this guy

  5. My best guess is that Jimmy Haslam has made a name for himself within the NFL. . . and there are very few high-quality Coaches that want to work for him. Truly understandable!

  6. It’s crazy the amount of negativity and B-S

    As of early 2026, Kevin Stefanski's win percentage with the Cleveland Browns is around .446. But if you bring that up they will reposition the Goal Post.

  7. The Cleveland Browns team, organization, owner, general manager . ..are the reason ( No Good Coach ) wants to commit to this dysfunctional hot flaming mess, known as The Cleveland Browns .

    Jimmy Haslam is the worst owner ever and even though Andrew Berry was successful on the last draft , he's still the worst general manager ever . What kind of owner hands over the head coaching search to his general manager 🤔.

    SMH

  8. Bull is totally incorrect….Bill belichick had a 450. Winning percentage with the Browns….I think he might have done ok in his second head coaching job. These guys just spew out total lies.

  9. I really wanted McDaniel on the team in any fashion. I'll take Udinski as a close replacement for him. HC or OC. Schwarz is not the guy but he'll figure it out if given time. The real issue is that Shedeur has 6 games to prove he's the guy next season. I don't want him doing that with a coach who is also an experiment.

  10. Look at that crap. The questions that Shedeur and DeShaun would get from the media is the reason why "BOTH OF THEM SHOULDN'T BE HERE?" What type of lazy, unaccountable culture wants to get rid of players so that the coach won't have to coach?

  11. The number of people on here blaming the media when this organization stinks is laughable. McDaniel deciding not to interview and take an OC job over a head coaching job speaks volumes. Y'all refuse to hold the organization accountable. You guys want the media to put lipstick on a pig and take it to the prom instead of pointing out that it is indeed a pig. Get y'all stuff together as a fanbase and demand better from the team. This team is the charlotte hornets of the nfl.

  12. Schwartz in Detroit also had a GM that drafted a WR in their 1st rd picks like 3-4 yrs in a row, when they clearly needed 1st rd talent in other areas of the team! LOL….!

  13. I think the PERFECT SCENARIO would be keep Schwartz as DC to run the Defense and hire a established OC to run the Offense… ST either keep Ventrone or hire a new guy. Hire Udinski as HC and with established Coordinators to run their side of the team, audinski can focus on being the CEO type HC and as he grows and the Coordinators leave he can be like McVay and grow.

  14. Instead of being pessimistic 24/7, did you guys even consider for 15 seconds that maybe the Browns just wanted to go in a different direction than a (currently) failed retread attempt, instead of the pessimist Browns, “we’re always gonna suck and you need to feel depressed about it because I do” coverage bs that’s entangled Cleveland media forever?

    I would say it’s more likely than not that Mike McDaniel asked the Browns (and the other teams he interviewed for) if they were likely to hire him as the head coach, when they all said no, he decided he was going to take an OC job that he liked.

    Instead, that idea is never considered, and we slap the title of “rejected”and “bad destination”, when it’s really just a mutual parting of two parties and likely just not the guy that the Browns wanted.

  15. We see why Kevin was still coaching the browns.. they cannot even get anyone to take the job… the cannot even give the job away . Lol 😂😂😂😂😂

  16. So simple. Find a minority assistant coach, bring him or her in for a first interview this week. If he/she is to their liking conduct the second interview next week along with ALL the other candidates. Announce a hire next Saturday. Duhhh! Get it done. And the preference should be McDermott if they can possibly (yes, highly unlikely) get him to come here. He's the prize. Everybody needs to stop trying to look like a genius by hiring the new Sean McVay, and just find a way to get the proven winner in house. Because that IS the smartest thing to do by far. If not, then I suppose taking a stab at Udinski won't screw things up any worse than they are already screwed up. And if he hits big, the guys who hired him are no more geniuses than your average Powerball winner is a genius.

  17. Michael penix is injury prone bad knees, Curt Cousins getting old Cleveland should call Atlanta to see if Kev wants to trade for his QB he drafted ole Dillion reunite him with his super computer. Who knows Mary K might wants to be apart of the package deal.

  18. Stop talking about he was part of only winning 5 games. Schwartz didn’t make the decision to punt on the opponent 29. That was a potential win. The Vikings game should have been win 2. Running a reverse out of the wild dog should have been a win. Goes for 4th down on your own 36 in 49ers game should have been a win yet Schwartz had no control of that. The head coach was just trash trash trash.

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