AFC North head coaches set for 2026 as Browns hire Todd Monken
The final head coaching vacancy in the AFC North was filled on Wednesday with the Cleveland Browns announcing the hire of former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their next head coach.
Welcome back to Cleveland, Coach!
- Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 28, 2026
We have named Todd Monken as our next head coach pic.twitter.com/YTMeplKSFW
Monken was the third head coaching hire in the division this offseason, replacing Kevin Stefanski (now the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons) in Cleveland.
Also joining the AFC North ranks are Mike McCarthy, who replaces Mike Tomlin as the head coach in Pittsburgh, and Jesse Minter, who replaces John Harbaugh (now the head coach of the New York Giants) in Baltimore. Zac Taylor, who led the Cincinnati Bengals to a third-place finish in the AFC North last year with a 6-11 record, is the only head coach in the division to keep his job entering 2026.
Monken was formerly the offensive coordinator for the Ravens from 2023-25. Despite a banged up Lamar Jackson in 2025, Baltimore finished with the 11th-best scoring offense. But in 2023 and 2024, the Ravens ranked fourth and third, respectively.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that there was quite a bit of fallout" from the Monken hiring. Notably, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, whose defense allowed the least yards per game in the league last year, apparently wants out.
The fallout (so far) of the Browns' decision to hire Todd Monken as their head coach after an extensive search:
- Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 28, 2026
DC Jim Schwartz wants out
AHC/STC Bubba Ventrone is not expected to return
Rams PGC Nate Scheelhaase likely will stay in L.A.
New Giants coach John... https://t.co/aTCyJ385ir
Monken has never been an NFL head coach before; the same can be said of new Ravens head coach Jesse Minter, who was formerly the Chargers defensive coordinator. That makes new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, who spent 18 years in that role in Green Bay and Dallas combined, by far the most experienced in the AFC North.
The Bengals' Zac Taylor, who was the Los Angeles Rams' quarterbacks coach before being hired by Cincinnati in 2019, is entering his eighth year as a head coach.
With the AFC North head coaching vacancies filled, the new hires are now focusing on building their staffs for the upcoming season. Now, just the Raiders and Cardinals jobs remain.