Cleveland Browns news (1/25): Championship Sunday has arrived!
Today marks the penultimate Sunday of football as the NFL holds its conference championship games.
On the AFC side, the New England Patriots, led by head coach Mike they had him in the building" Vrabel, will take on the Denver Broncos, who will be quarterbacked by none other than Jarrett Stidham, who has not thrown a pass in a game that matters since 2023. Hopefully, Denver head coach Sean Payton had the foresight to give Stidham plenty of first-team reps in the preseason.
On the NFC side, the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks will meet for the third time this season, with Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold looking to become the first quarterback from the 2018 draft class to reach a Super Bowl. No word yet on whether Darnold ever received a text from head coach Adam Gase on his way out of New York.
Once upon a time, the Cleveland Browns were actually participants in these games, rather than spending their days searching for yet another head coach.
The Browns advanced to the AFC Championship Game three times in the late 1980s, only to fall short each time against the Broncos. It was a similar tale in the late 1960s, when the Browns had the opportunity to represent the NFL in Super Bowl III and Super Bowl IV, only to lose to the Baltimore Colts in 1968 and then the Minnesota Vikings in 1969.
There is no telling how NFL history may have changed if it had been the Browns facing the Jets in Miami or the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans. Such is life.
Enough about the past. Let's get the day rolling with a look at the Browns and the NFL in today's edition of the Sunday Dawg Chow.
Dawgs By Nature- Browns head coach search: College coach interview could be next step or already occurred (Jared Mueller) - Has the Cleveland Browns head coach search included a college coach to fulfill the Rooney Rule?
- Browns Shedeur Sanders, Kevin Stefanski: Detailed report of extensive' plan, work (Jared Mueller) - The Cleveland Browns moved on from head coach Kevin Stefanski, but his plan with Shedeur Sanders and other QBs was extensive."
- 49ers QB John Brodie passes, small connection to big part of Browns history (Barry Shuck) - The greatest in Cleveland Browns history almost wasn't. John Brodie's passing brings that story back up.
- There are only 32 NFL head coaching jobs. The Browns don't seem like one. (Washington Post) - The Cleveland franchise has all a coach could want, except for a stable owner and a promising quarterback situation.
- Pros and cons for Browns head-coaching candidates? (Beacon Journal) - And then there were four. Or, technically, it's at least five. It's not an Agatha Christie mystery novel, although the outcome remains unknown until the end arrives. It's the number of candidates who publicly remain in the Cleveland Browns' search for a new head coach.
- What's the deal with Baker Mayfield & the Browns? (Terry Pluto) - Exactly why did Baker Mayfield decide to go after Kevin Stefanski?
- As franchise flounders, end of misery isn't even in sight (Browns Zone) - So how does it feel, Browns fans, to cheer for the most inconsequential franchise in the NFL? The NFL hiring and firing season has been well underway for some time now, while the Browns have been well underwater.
- Steelers hire Greenfield native Mike McCarthy as head coach (triblive.com) - Mike McCarthy is coming home to coach the football team he grew up rooting for. The Pittsburgh Steelers announced Saturday that they'd verbally agreed" to hire McCarthy as their head coach.
- 2026 NFL offseason WR market: Free agents, trade candidates (ESPN) - If the 2024 season was the Year of the Superstar Running Back, then the end to the 2025 NFL campaign might turn this into the Year of the Superstar Wide Receiver.
- Joe Flacco discusses potential retirement: I don't think that's hit me yet' (NFL.com) - When all seemed to be lost for the Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Flacco found prime form. Was the 2025 season his last? Or will he perhaps be back and look to sign on with the Steelers to join the only AFC North roster he's yet to play for. At this point, it appears as though Flacco is eyeing a return for his 19th NFL season.