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Former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is breaking his silence on one of the more polarizing storylines of the 2025 season — his relationship with quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Stefanski, who was fired after the Browns finished with a 5-12 record, addressed the narrative head-on in recent comments, pushing back against suggestions that he was anything less than fully invested in Sanders’ development.
“I would say this, I love Shedeur. I loved coaching him, seriously,” Stefanski said on the Pardon My Take Podcast. “He’s got the right makeup for this game. He was wired the right way. I wish that we’d won more, obviously. But if you saw how he played down the stretch, I mean he’s a young player who’s getting better. I’m not coaching him anymore, so I know I have to be careful talking about other players, but I am rooting for him.”
Those are hardly the words of a coach who sabotaged his own quarterback — and yet, that’s exactly the accusation that followed Stefanski throughout much of last season.
Stefanski Accused of Sabotaging Sanders With Browns
Sanders’ path to Cleveland was anything but conventional. Once projected as a potential top-five pick heading into the NFL Draft, the Colorado standout and son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders watched his draft stock tumble dramatically. When the Browns selected him in the fifth round at pick No. 144, the pick came loaded with intrigue but also uncertainty.
Sanders found himself buried on the depth chart to open the season, with Stefanski and the Browns organization seemingly reluctant to give him a shot. For Sanders fans and some outside observers, Stefanski was accused of a deliberate effort to limit his opportunities.
When Sanders did an extended opportunity in his seven starts, he showed flashes that justified the hype surrounding him coming out of college, although he still had some rookie bumps. But even Myles Garrett has weighed in on what Sanders brings to the table.
Sanders was named a Pro Bowl replacement after passing for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Shedeur Sanders’ Reaction to Stefanski’s Firing
For his part, Sanders was measured when the news broke that Stefanski had been let go.
“We just found out a couple seconds ago,” Sanders said in his end-of-season media availability on January 5. “I think it’s just overall the mentality, things are gonna happen, that’s just how the league is. And moving forward, just focus on what we can improve individually for the next head coach.”
Just a day earlier, after the Browns closed out the season with a win over the Bengals, Sanders had spoken warmly about his coach and their relationship.
“Coach Kev, he’s been real tough,” Sanders said. “And it’s good. I think I grew and I learned a lot from him. I feel like we grew to understand each other.”
Whatever friction existed between the two — real or perceived — it appears both parties left the relationship with mutual respect. Sanders remains on the Browns’ roster heading into the offseason, and the question of his future in Cleveland is very much open.
New head coach Todd Monken inherits a quarterback room that includes Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and the looming shadow of Deshaun Watson.
Meanwhile, Stefanski will be looking to iron out out his own quarterback situation with the Atlanta Falcons.
J.R. DeGroote JR DeGroote is a staff writer for Heavy.com, where he has covered the NFL, NBA, and trending sports stories since 2019. His work focuses on some of the most passionate fanbases in sports, including reporting on the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers. More about J.R. DeGroote
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