{"id":909445,"date":"2026-06-04T04:09:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T04:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/909445\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T04:09:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T04:09:16","slug":"jim-schwartz-doesnt-hold-back-on-abrupt-browns-exit-after-losing-head-coaching-job-to-todd-monken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/909445\/","title":{"rendered":"Jim Schwartz Doesn’t Hold Back on Abrupt Browns Exit After Losing Head Coaching Job to Todd Monken"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to Cleveland.com, former Browns<\/a> defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was one of the three candidates for the open head coaching job in Cleveland<\/a>. His defenses delivered even when the other side didn\u2019t, and he had an impressive resume to pitch himself as the winner. But the Browns had other plans.<\/p>\n

What followed was an ugly split, leading the franchise to lose a genius on its staff. The Cleveland Browns<\/a> went ahead with Todd Monken because their offense had been grasping at straws for a long time now. Being ignored for a reason like that didn\u2019t sit well with Schwartz, who revealed his feelings about the decision in a tell-all interview on the Ryan Ripken Show.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe had a lot of success on defense, and the Browns made a change at head coach, and they passed over me with all the success that we had and the ability to develop players,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cOur best players had their best years, all those different things. And that was a decision they made. They wanted to go with an offensive guy. They chose Todd. I\u2019m fine with that. They can make decisions that they want to make, but they can\u2019t expect me to stay on board for that.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody that\u2019s in any business, you get passed over for a promotion when you\u2019ve done a really, really good job in your job, and you think you were in line for that promotion. It\u2019s, you know, it\u2019s time to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Jim Schwartz,<\/a> the Browns\u2019 head coaching job felt like a natural progression. The veteran coach had been a defensive coordinator for most of his career, and felt like the best candidate to replace Kevin Stefanski. In his three years of leading the Browns defense, the team ranks first in opponents\u2019 first downs allowed per game (16.5), third and fourth-down percentage (33.8% and 41.2%, respectively), total passing yards per game (181.5), first downs per pass attempt (30.9%), and most team tackles for a loss (342), per Cleveland\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n

After his first year with the Browns, Schwartz was named the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year. He\u2019d also built a star out of Myles Garrett<\/a>, who won the Defensive Player of the Year honor twice. Cleveland\u2019s defense was ranked among the best in the country last season too, even though the team was not having a good time. The head coach position seemed like a done deal for him.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019d certainly consider it,\u201d Schwartz said in December 2025, when asked about a head coaching role. \u201cI think in any business you aspire to the top. And I\u2019m no different than other people in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the offense, which was in complete disarray, won over the Browns. And in came Todd Monken.<\/p>\n

Reports of tension<\/a> between Schwartz and the management came out soon after. The Browns would be at a complete disservice if he left, but Schwartz just did not want to be in the Cleveland system anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving command of the players and having command of the locker room, all those things are extremely important,\u201d Schwartz added. \u201cAnd I didn\u2019t feel like I could do my job after getting passed over for the head coaching job. It sort of just put me in a tough position, \u2018Hey, we want you to listen to this guy, but we didn\u2019t want to make him the head coach.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Even Myles Garrett, the Browns\u2019 crown jewel until his recent trade to the Los Angeles Rams<\/a>, publicly showed support for Schwartz to be hired as the head coach. Instead, he was delivered the tough news that his DC hadn\u2019t made the cut, and was kept informed about Schwartz\u2019s next steps. There was some worry if Garrett would leave because of the former coach\u2019s absence, as he\u2019d already requested a trade in the 2025 offseason.<\/p>\n

If there is one thing about Cleveland that Schwartz can rightly take credit for, it\u2019s Garrett. The former coach also revealed that he was adamant on the defensive end pushing his limits because of what he was capable of.<\/p>\n

Jim Schwartz reveals his role in Myles Garrett\u2019s sack record<\/p>\n

During the Week 17 clash against the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>, all eyes were locked on Myles Garrett, who was half a sack away from equalling the all-time sacks record set by Hall of Famer Michael Strahan in 2001. In the fourth quarter of that game, he crossed that mark by bringing down quarterback Joe Burrow<\/a>, who also happens to be his top sacking target in his sacking career.<\/p>\n

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The league got to see Garrett\u2019s full ceiling in this game: the DE was a generational player. And Schwartz had some role to play in this massive achievement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he didn\u2019t get a sack in that series, I was getting ready to tell him on the sideline, \u2018Hey, look, I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re offsides 10 times in a row. Jump the snap count every single time. We\u2019re getting this sack,\u201d Schwartz said.<\/p>\n

Before scripting the record, Garrett echoed his coach\u2019s exact words: \u201cThey all count. So, I don\u2019t care if I run his a\u2013 out of bounds. However he gets got, he gets got.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, with both of them gone, it seems like one of the most impactful periods in Cleveland\u2019s defensive history has come to an end. Whether or not this will come to bite back at the franchise is left to be seen.<\/p>\n

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