Eagles

Jim Schwartz Reportedly Peaced Out After the Browns Hired Todd Monken

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jan 28th, 2026 · 1:30 PM EST

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This is pretty good:

After the Browns informed DC Jim Schwartz this morning they were passing him over to hire Todd Monken as head coach, Schwartz was visibly upset, said goodbyes in the building and told other coaches he’s not coming back, sources tell The Insiders.

Schwartz is under contract and… pic.twitter.com/GBEct9BRPB

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 28, 2026

#Browns DC Jim Schwartz was upset at being passed over for HC and told coaches he doesn’t plan on staying in Cleveland, sources tell The Insiders.

Schwartz is under contract and the team wants him but it’s a situation that at the very least needs to be worked through. pic.twitter.com/wdHYELSYkK

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 28, 2026

The Browns are going to have to set up the sticks defense to make sure Schwartz doesn’t go too far before the situation can be resolved.

But this is a very Cleveland thing. Monken is 59, same age as Schwartz, and has never been a head coach at the NFL level, so it’s not like Schwartz was passed up for some young rising star. Maybe you could live with that if you were skipped over for the next Sean McVay or whatever, but it’s gotta be disappointing for Schwartz considering it’s been more than a decade since he coached the Lions and hasn’t been given another shot.

San Francisco makes a lot of sense for Schwartz if he refuses to return to Cleveland. Buffalo would be a good landing spot also. Anything is really an upgrade over the Browns if you think about it.

Selfishly, wouldn’t mind Schwartz back here in some capacity for the quote potential alone. Jim Bob COOTER as offensive coordinator and Schwartz going up to the podium every week in some kind of made-up role would be great for the blog.