Earlier this week at the NFL Annual Owners Meetings in Orlando Florida, Cleveland Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam stated that contact extensions for General Manager Andrew Berry and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski were imminent. This move makes sense for the Cleveland Browns and here’s why.

From 1999-2019, before Berry and Stefanski took over the Cleveland Browns the team had 11 different head coaches and 10 different general managers. Stability with the organization was nonexistent. With constant change the only consistency was losing football games. The Browns hit rock bottom in 2016 to 2017 with a 1-31 record. But that was then, and this is now.

Giving credit to Jimmy Haslam, he learned from his mistakes. I have had successful business leaders tell me personally that building a successful business is not knowing how to hire people. It is knowing how to fire people. Jimmy Haslam did hire and fire people since he took ownership of the Cleveland Browns in 2012. It took him 8 years to finally get it right.

Now that he did find the right general manager and head coach, it is only right to keep them. Kevin Stefanski will be the first Cleveland Browns Head Coach to coach into his 5th year since the 1995 season under Bill Belichick. Stefanski also passed Belichick on wins with 38 including the playoffs. Andrew Berry will be the longest tenured Cleveland Browns General Manager since Ernie Accorsi 1985-1991. Ironically enough that was the last time the Cleveland Browns were legitimate contenders for a championship.

Andrew Berry has made some mistakes and so has Kevin Stefanski. They are human. But the Cleveland Browns won 11 games last season with 26% of their salary cap on injured reserve and made the playoffs while resting their starters on week 18. Also don’t forget the six pro bowl players on the roster and the NFL awards that were won by coaches and players’ last season. Have the Cleveland Browns finally turned the corner?  The only answer to that question is sustained success and the only way to have that is to keep the good leadership in place.