Reports: Browns DC Jim Schwartz won't return after head coach snub

Field Level Media|published: Wed 28th January, 14:32 2026

Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz watches the team warm up before an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Nov. 16, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz doesn't intend to return for a fourth season in Cleveland after he was interviewed multiple times but ultimately passed over for the head coaching vacancy, according to multiple reports.

The Browns hired former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their next head coach on Wednesday. Schwartz is under contract for the 2026 season and was seen as a key retention piece for the new head coach by the franchise but reportedly has other ideas.

Schwartz, who was brought in ahead of the 2023 season under former head coach Kevin Stefanski, has built a defense which consistently ranked among the best in the league.

Schwartz, 59, earned the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award in his first season in Cleveland in 2023. His unit led the league in total defense (270.2 yards per game), and the Browns made just their second playoff appearance since 2002.

This year's Cleveland defense ranked fourth in total defense (283.6) and saw defensive end Myles Garrett break the NFL's single-season sacks record (23) even though the team won just five games.

Schwartz was previously head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009-13, amassing a 29-51 record with one winning season and playoff appearance in 2011. He's previously worked as defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans (2001-08), Buffalo Bills (2014) and Philadelphia Eagles (2016-20), and as a senior defensive assistant for Tennessee (2021-22).

--Field Level Media

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