He was previously in the running to be the Cleveland Browns’ next head coach before being passed over for Todd Monken. Now Jim Schwartz is leaving the franchise.

According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Schwartz is resigning as the Browns’ defensive coordinator, ending speculation regarding his future after he was reportedly upset that he was passed over for Monken.

The Browns made the surprising decision to hire Monken after firing Kevin Stefanski following six seasons as head coach. Schwartz was the Browns’ defensive coordinator from 2023 through 2025 and oversaw some very good defenses.

This past season, Schwartz helped scheme things up for defensive end Myles Garrett to have a monster season. Garrett set the NFL’s single-season sacks record and earned his second Defensive Player of the Year Award, winning it Thursday night in unanimous fashion at the NFL Awards ceremony.

After news broke that the Browns were hiring Monken, Schwartz was reportedly “visibly upset” and left the facility, raising questions about his future in Cleveland.

Now, that future is clear as Schwartz is walking away.

The Browns have issued a statement on Schwartz’s resignation.

Schwartz remained under contract with the Browns even after the hiring of Monken. But in his introductory press conference, Monken wouldn’t really talk about Schwartz, stating he didn’t take the job because of Schwartz, seemingly fanning the flames just a bit.

“First off, my anticipation is we’re not going to change the system,” Monken said of his vision for the Browns’ defense. “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 didn’t think I’d say it, but I’m going to say it.

“When I was preparing for the Cleveland Browns, I wasn’t trying to chip Jim Schwartz, I was chipping Myles Garrett.”

While true, it’s just not something you need to say in your introductory press conference, especially when you’re taking over a team that has a lot of players who were big believers in Schwartz and campaigned for him to get the job.

The veteran defensive mind was a finalist for the head coaching job, which would have given him another shot at being an NFL head coach after he had an unsuccessful stint with the Detroit Lions from 2009-13. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Schwartz is now expected to sit out the 2026 season before getting back into coaching in 2027.

His resignation just adds to the messy operation that is the Browns. The Monken hiring was surprising, and the issues since are rather fitting for the Browns’ organization under owner Jimmy Haslam.