The Cleveland Browns will be seeking a Chief Strategy Officer this offseason, as their current one, Paul DePodesta, is departing the team.
Ken Rosenthal, Zac Jackson and Brittany Ghiroli from The Athletic reported on Thursday that DePodesta is returning to baseball, taking on the role of head of baseball operations for the Colorado Rockies.
DePodesta has served as the Browns’ Chief Strategy Officer since 2016. Before DePodesta joined the Browns, he spent over 20 years in Major League Baseball, holding various front office roles.
DePodesta now heads back to his original sport, and Browns owner Jimmy and his wife, Dee Haslam, issued a statement on DePodesta’s departure from the organization.
“We want to thank Paul for his contributions to the Cleveland Browns over the past nine and a half seasons,” Managing and Principal Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement on Friday, via Kelsey Russo.
“Paul’s humble and egoless approach encouraged a culture of teamwork and collaboration. He helped modernize our research and analytics departments and his broad background in professional sports brought a different perspective to our organization. We appreciate the valued role he played in our organization as a member of our leadership team and wish him all the best in his return to Major League Baseball with the Colorado Rockies.”
We appreciate all of Paul’s dedication to our organization and wish him the best in his next role! pic.twitter.com/c5ki8IXkYC
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 7, 2025
DePodesta had a rough time with the Browns and came in under the Hue Jackson and Sashi Brown era. Jackson and Brown were both gone from the team by the middle of 2018, and it didn’t get better for DePodesta when general manager John Dorsey hired Freddie Kitchens to be the head coach in 2019.
Kitchens only lasted one season, finishing with a 6-10 record, and the Browns also fired Dorsey at the end of 2019. DePodesta was one of the individuals responsible for hiring general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Berry and Stefanski got off to a solid start by leading the team to the playoffs in their first year. However, the last two seasons have proven to be quite challenging. Since Week 1 of 2024, the Browns have managed to secure only five wins, and there’s a real possibility that both Berry and Stefanski could be on the lookout for new jobs if they can’t turn things around in the latter half of the season.
The Browns needed a change, and DePodesta’s departure might be the best move for both him and the organization. He now has an opportunity for a fresh start in a sport he knows best, while the Browns can look forward to potentially bringing in new front office members for a renewed beginning.