‘He’s been tough’ – Shedeur Sanders reflects on relationship with Kevin Stefanski amid Browns firing rumors

Shedeur Sanders and the Cleveland Browns ended the 2025 season on a high.

With just Myles Garrett’s sack record left to play for in Week 18 for the Browns, their contest against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals was their last opportunity to play together as a team before the off-season.

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It was a game in which the Browns defense stole the headlines, with two defensive touchdowns and Garrett finally surpassing the long-standing single-season sack record held since 2001 by Michael Strahan.

Garrett was credited for bringing Burrow down with under six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The offense orchestrated by Sanders, struggled to come alive, with the son of NFL legend Deion completing just 11-of-22 passing for 111 yards and a lost fumble.

However, the 23-year-old would march his team down the field late in the fourth quarter to set up kicker Andre Szmyt for the walk-off field goal to give the Browns a 20-18 victory on the road at Paycor Stadium to give them a 5-12 record.

But now that a whirlwind 2025 campaign is over, the Browns front office has decisions to make, most notably that of head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Having now completed his sixth season at the helm of the Browns, in which he has a 45-56 record, speculation is building that Stefanski will be one of a number of head coaches who could find themselves jobless on what is known in the NFL as Black Monday.

The pressure has been building on the 43-year-old for much of the season and this has only intensified over the last few days.

Sanders addresses relationship with Stefanski after rocky season

After the Browns’ victory, Sanders spoke out candidly about his relationship with the under-fire coach.

“Coach Kev, He’s been real tough. He’s been tough and it’s good,” Sanders told the media postgame. “I grew and learned a lot from him.

“This week we had a conversation, just about things in general and I feel like we grew to understand each other. We would share different things that we would both go through.

“I know he wanted this win, and I know he wants every win, but I know that this one means a lot. I wish we all played as a team, and I wish we could have done more personally within this last year.”

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The pressure on Stefanski largely stemmed as a result of the way in which he navigated the near-farcical quarterback carousel over the course of the year.

Stefanski started the season with 40-year-old Joe Flacco under center, only for the veteran QB to be traded to the Bengals mid-season, before rookie Dillon Gabriel got the nod as the starter.

After Gabriel suffered a concussion in Week 11, Stefanski’s hand was ultimately forced into sending the former Colorado Buffaloes star out onto the field, despite later revelations that he wanted to redshirt Sanders’ rookie campaign.

But Sanders, whose rookie season only really began in Week 11 when he got the first on-field reps of his young NFL career, helped his team to finish with five wins on the season, three of which came with the 23-year-old under center.

The quarterback ultimately finished his rookie season completing 56.6 percent of his passes and recording 1,569 scrimmage yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his eight appearances.

Whether the Browns deem his season to be good enough to be given a second opportunity in 2026, though, remains to be seen.

Stefanski on the hot seat

With fans alleging that Stefanski ‘would rather get fired’ than play Sanders, they may now see this actually come into fruition.

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Despite quashing speculation that he had coached his final game for the Browns organization on Sunday, stating “this game’s not about me,” many are of the belief that the two-time NFL Coach of the Year is on the hottest seat in the league.

“My feeling is that the decision was made before this game [Sunday] and he’s at peace with it,” Browns insider Tony Grossi said on ESPN Cleveland on Sunday.

“I expect him not to be back. If he comes back I’ll be as surprised as anyone but nothing happened in the game, in my opinion, to change their decision and I do think the decision was already made.”

Stefanski has already been heavily linked with the vacant New York Giants opening following their mid-season firing of Brian Daboll, while he is also considered a candidate for the Tennessee Titans.

With the Browns locking down the sixth overall pick, whether Stefanski – or, more likely, a brand new coach – will opt to stick with Sanders amid the return of $230 million Deshaun Watson is uncertain.

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