Former Vikings Coach Gives Up Playcalling Duties

The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a substantial win over the weekend. Facing the Detroit Lions on the road at Ford Field, head coach Kevin O’Connell had quarterback J.J. McCarthy ready to rock. The offense was clicking and Brian Flores’ defense was flying all over the field. It was the perfect chain of events to pull an upset.

That has hardly been the case for the Cleveland Browns this year. Former Vikings coach Kevin Stefanski is already on his second quarterback, and the team owns just a 2-6 record. Coming out of their bye week, they’ll make a change in hopes of jumpstarting production.

Kevin Stefanski hands off offensive responsibilities

For years the Cleveland Browns have been a dumpster fire of a franchise. Kevin Stefanski has seen brief periods of success having won Coach of the Year honors twice, and putting up a pair of 11-win seasons. Six years in with the Browns though, he’s giving up playcalling duties for the second consecutive season.

For the second consecutive year, #Browns coach Kevin Stefanski hands off play-calling duties, this time to OC Tommy Rees.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 3, 2025

Last year Stefanski ceded his playcalling duties to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. They team finished with just a 3-14 record and were tied for the worst season in the league. At 2-6 through eight games, Stefanski turns things over to new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

Stefanski began his coaching career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2006. He was named the interim offensive coordinator in 2018 and removed the interim tag in 2019. After one year in the role, he was poached to be the Browns head coach.

Rollercoaster of a season for Stefanski’s Cleveland Browns

Joe Flacco started the first four games of the year for Stefanski. He then was benched in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel, and has since been traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. Gabriel was Cleveland’s third round pick this April, and one of two quarterbacks taken, with Shedeur Sanders also joining the room.

It’s unlikely that the Browns find their fortunes turning simply because Stefanski is no longer calling the plays. However, he has shown evidence of being overwhelmed now each of the last two years, and that’s notable. It could be beneficial for him to singularly focus on the full overview of the team, and Rees now gets a chance to completely run with his job responsibilities.

There’s a soft landing spot for the Browns and Rees in all of this as well. Cleveland comes out of the bye facing the New York Jets. As the road team, they are 2.5 point underdogs, but New York is just 1-7 and should be a beatable opponent.

Stefanski has enjoyed a nice tenure with the Browns, and he has stuck despite a tumultuous set of circumstances in recent seasons. It remains to be seen how this latest change, and another potentially poor season, plays out.