Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry, right, poses for a photo with head coach Kevin Stefanski after speaking during a news conference at the NFL football team’s training facility, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, in Berea, Ohio. Berry returned to the team after a one-year stint in the Philadelphia Eagles’ front office. Berry was the Browns’ vice president of player personnel from 2016-18. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
(official Browns release)
Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski sign contract extensions with the Browns
With Berry and Stefanski at the helm since 2020, the Browns have the highest winning percentage for the team over a four-year stretch since 1986-89
By Kelsey Russo, ClevelandBrowns.com Staff Writer
BEREA, Ohio —Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski are here to stay.
The Browns announced that Berry and Stefanski have signed contract extensions.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry leading the Cleveland Browns,” Cleveland Browns Managing and Principal Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. “Since the day they were hired, each has worked tirelessly to help the Cleveland Browns win. We are proud of what they and the team have achieved, but Kevin and Andrew would be the first to say that Browns fans deserve even more. Their leadership, collaborative approach, and ability to overcome obstacles bode well for the future of this franchise.
“Last season was a prime example,” Dee and Jimmy Haslam continued. “Despite facing multiple player injuries and using five different starting quarterbacks, Andrew and his staff built a roster that adapted well, while Kevin and his staff led the team to its second playoff appearance in four years, earning Coach of the Year honors for the second time in that period. They are two of the brightest people we know, and selfless people who only care about what is best for the Cleveland Browns. We are thrilled that Kevin and Andrew will remain with the team for the future.”
Berry and Stefanski were first hired by the Browns in 2020, and since then, the Browns have a record of 37-30 (.552) — the highest winning percentage for the team over a four-year stretch since 1986-89. As an organization, they have seen a level of success not seen in some time. In their first season at the helm in 2020, the pair helped the team to its first playoff appearance since 2002 and first playoff victory in 26 years.
The Browns also finished the 2023 season with an 11-6 record and another trip to the postseason. The 11 regular season wins tied for second-most in team history, trailing only the 1986 team, which had 12 wins. Following the 2023 season, Stefanski (2020 and 2023) joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Paul Brown (1951 and 1953) as the only coaches in team history to record multiple seasons with at least 11 regular season wins.
Cleveland dominated at home during the 2023 season, as the Browns finished with an 8-1 record at Cleveland Browns Stadium and set a team record for wins at home. Since 2020, the Browns are 24-10 (.706) at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
The Browns established a prominent run game over the last four years, as they are third in the NFL with an average of 139.6 rushing yards per game since 2020. Yet they’ve also developed a blend of the run and pass game as well. During the Browns 77-year history, the team has surpassed 6,000 scrimmage yards in a single season just seven times; under Stefanski, the Browns have reached that mark in all four seasons.
Cleveland had seven players selected to the Pro Bowl for the 2023 season, the club’s most since sending eight in 1988. During his tenue, Berry has inked five of the players — G Joel Bitonio, DE Myles Garrett, TE David Njoku, G Wyatt Teller and CB Denzel Ward — to contract extensions, while WR Amari Cooper was acquired via trade in 2022 and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was a second-round draft pick in 2021.
Berry also added the contract extensions of WR Jerry Jeudy – who the Browns acquired in a trade with the Broncos in March – and S Grant Delpit – who was drafted by the Browns in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Stefanski earned accolades of his own over his first four years as a head coach. He was named the Coach of the Year in 2020 and in 2023 and joined Forrest Gregg (1976) as the second coach in franchise history to earn the honor.
Under the first four years of Berry and Stefanski’s leadership, the Browns have turned the page to a new chapter of history within the organization. Now, with the extensions in place, they are poised to lead the Browns through the next chapter of the organization’s storied history.
“Kevin, the way that he was able to lead and manage through challenges in adversity this year was absolutely phenomenal,” Berry said in his end-of-season press conference on Jan. 22. “And we have a smart, adaptable, emotionally intelligent leader who the crazy part is, he’s not even close to his ceiling. And I know that our organization is in really good hands both now and for the foreseeable future with him.”
