Black Monday is usually a busy day in the NFL. The Monday after the final regular season games is when most of the head coach firings are done. This cycle, there were 10 NFL teams looking for new head coaches. Three weeks into this hiring period, and all but three of those jobs have been filled.
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One of those is the Cleveland Browns gig. And they are really struggling to find someone to take the gig. Grant Udinski, offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, was the latest to withdraw his name from consideration. Reports of the gauntlet general manager, Andrew Berry, putting his candidates through surely aren’t helping. When it’s viewed as one of the worst jobs in football, maybe take it easy on the hiring process.
With top candidates dropping like flies, of course, Deion Sanders’ name has now come up in discussions of the job. His son, Shedeur Sanders, is the presumptive 2026 starter at QB. Stephen A. Smith says he loves the idea for both the Browns and the Sanders clan.
“I hope this happens for him,” Smith said. “Yes, you were 27-6 in leading Jackson State to consecutive SWAC titles and a 12-1 record in 2022. Yes, you had a winning season in Shedeur Sanders’ last year in Colorado, 9-4. … When you won, it was with your son.”
“I hope this happens for him, [but] his resume doesn’t warrant it.” ✍️@stephenasmith on if the Browns should call Deion Sanders about their head coaching vacancy pic.twitter.com/aWXFxiVv5a
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 27, 2026
However, that doesn’t mean he believes that it will actually happen for Coach Prime—or that he thinks Sanders even deserves it, considering his short coaching resume.
“His resume doesn’t warrant it,” admitted Smith. “It can’t always be about coaching your son. … If you were to get the Cleveland Browns job, is that why Shedeur Sanders had such a hard time getting an opportunity? Because coaches and people within the organization were sensing that you were the heir apparent?”
Deion Sanders would only be a long-shot candidate anyway. The competition for the Browns’ job seems like it is down to a three-man race. Current Cleveland defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is the slight favorite, with highly-touted Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase a close second and former Baltimore Ravens OC Todd Monken also in the mix, according to sportsbooks.
