BEREA, Ohio — At times colorful, and at times emotional, Todd Monken was introduced as the Cleveland Browns' newest head coach on Tuesday afternoon.
Watch a portion of the news conference:
General Manager Andrew Berry opened the press conference by explaining what the Browns were looking for in a coach and how Monken met those qualifications, with a particular focus on how he will improve the team's offense.
"We were looking at individuals that had four key attributes. The first is something that we categorize as global intelligence – so that’s not just cognitive ability or IQ, that’s EQ and football acumen as well. The second is something that we term CEO leadership—so that’s someone who has the ability to function at what we would call 30,000 feet, as well as the tactical level at ground level. The third, we wanted someone who had a demonstrated track record of innovation where they’ve been. And then the fourth, we wanted someone who had the characteristics of collaboration, given the head coaching position touches so many different areas in football operations in the modern-day game," Berry said. "And when we did that, Todd stood head and shoulders above the rest."
As Browns fans got their first look at the new coach, Monken didn't hide his feelings.
"Wow, man, am I excited to lead this flagship NFL franchise. It's been a long time coming. It's been a long journey ... I'm jacked," he said.
#Browns Todd Monken opens his introductory press conference:"Wow, man, am I excited to lead this flagship NFL franchise. It's been a long time coming. It's been a long journey...I'm jacked."
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) February 3, 2026
"I look forward to building this roster to a championship level — a consistent championship level."
Monken got choked up and fought back tears while he thanked his family for their support, framing the moment with a common expletive before saying, "Told myself I wasn't gonna cry."
On what the organization should expect from him, he said, "A freaking kickass football team...my job is to prove it every single day."
Following his remarks, he addressed several high-interest topics raised by reporters.
Monken was asked about the team's quarterback situation, which the coach tactfully refused to comment on directly, speaking instead in vague generalities.
“Well, I think like any position on the team, that’s still to be determined. Am I excited about Shedeur? Am I excited about all the quarterbacks in the room? Am I excited to coach this football team? Absolutely. I can’t wait for them to get back and for us to get started," he said.
As for Jim Schwartz, who also interviewed for the job and wasn't happy he didn't get it, Monken said that they have spoken and he holds Schwartz in high regard, adding, "I think it's a little inappropriate to comment on that at this time." While he didn't give much on the first question, he did answer a follow-up question about Schwartz rather candidly.
"I didn’t take this job because of Jim Schwartz. I have a lot of respect for Jim Schwartz, as I would hope he has for me. But I’d tell you, because of the players that are here, the ownership, Andrew Berry and the ability to build this roster from the ground up on the offensive side," Monken said. "When I was preparing for the Cleveland Browns, I wasn’t trying to chip Jim Schwartz, I was chipping Myles Garrett. And when I was sliding a protection to the outside backers or Grant Delpit that were blitzing off the edge, I was sliding the protection of the players. And when I was worried about throwing to the right against Denzel Ward or Tyson Campbell to the left, that’s who I was worried about throwing at.”
Monken, who is known for being an offensive guru, said he will call plays. His new offensive coordinator, Travis Switzer, who has not officially been announced but who league sources confirmed to News 5 last week is the expected hire, will help Monken in game planning, scheme and development.
Q and A with Monken
Following Monken's press conference, News 5's Camryn Justice caught up with him for a one-on-one interview about his next steps as head coach.
Justice: "This is going to be a busy time for you, obviously, but it looks like as soon as you got off the plane, you got right to work here in Berea. So what do these next few days, weeks and months look like for you as you take the reins over for the Cleveland Browns?"
Monken: "Starting off, we've got to finish hiring an elite staff and them connecting with the players. I mean, that's really what it comes down to, is connecting with those guys, but again, putting together an elite staff."
Justice: "I asked you in your introductory press conference about your philosophy on player development, and one of the things that you have said before is just finding that elite trait in a player. We talk so much about what this year looks like for Shedeur Sanders. So when you see what he's done from his first year in the NFL into this next season, what stands out to you as elite about him that you hope to maybe pull out in his development?"
Monken: "I think you can see the play-making ability. You can see him as a playmaker. He has a unique way of moving around the pocket and finding receivers down the field. I love that about him. Hard to really drill down into some of the other things you need to work on until we really get him back here for you."
Justice: "You've got a lot of coaching experience, but this is your first NFL head coaching opportunity. Why did it feel like this was the time now? And what are you looking forward to with this opportunity now?"
Monken: "I think God puts you in the right place at the right time. I really believe that I've had other opportunities just didn't come to fruition. Loved my time here. I think the Haslams and the fan base are just craving a consistent winner. And I've been a little bit in that. I've been in that situation before at Southern Miss, and I can't wait to get started."
Justice: "You said craving that consistent winner. It's obviously a little early to create expectations for this team, but you obviously had to have pitched something, your vision for what the Cleveland Browns could be in 2026, so what is that vision? What do you anticipate the Cleveland Browns will look like under you in your first year? And then moving forward?"
Monken: "Well, I think first off, when you talk about what you want the tape to look like, I mean, it starts with effort, physicality and execution that pops off the tape, and that's what you want the team to look like. And if you get that, if you get that effort, physicality and execution that pops off the tape, everything else takes care of itself."
Justice: "All right, last one for you, you're back in Cleveland, you were here in 2019. What excites you the most about being here? What are you looking forward to? What's first on your list of getting back into this community and back into a fan base that loves football so much?"
Monken: "Building a consistent winner. That's all it is. This is all about winning."
Berry on the hiring process
In an interview following Monken's introduction, Berry spoke to reporters about the "monumental" hire and the four-week process surrounding it.
"This is a position that, across the league, you may spend, call it $50 to $100 million on the hire, plus another $75 million on their staff, plus the impact that they have on the organization," Berry said. "And there has to be a level of thoughtfulness when you're going through that hiring process."
In addition to the money spent on hiring a new coach, he said the change could alter the team's strategic direction either positively or negatively, impacting how they approached the hiring process.
He said they had to look at factors such as how the team has performed, the characteristics they are looking for in the role, and how to measure them. He said they began the hiring process by conducting extensive research before requesting interviews.
"The way we looked at it was, number one, it's performance, right? It's a performance-based business. We want someone with a good track record," Berry said. "We want to know what it was like working with these individuals, from the people who have been with them over a long period of time. And then we also wanted to test their critical thinking skills in role-specific areas, and that's what the interview process was. That's what the assessments were, and the work samples."
In addition to evaluating the characteristics of a head coach candidate, Berry said they also considered how the candidate could improve the team's offense —something he acknowledged needs the most work.
However, he said they weren't only looking for a coach with an offensive background.
"I know when people hear offense, they seem, OK, well, they're just going for like an offense square," Berry said. "That wasn't necessarily the case. We met with a number of outstanding defensive coaches throughout this process, but we felt Todd was the best fit for us."
Haslam on the hire
Co-owner Jimmy Haslam also held a separate press conference following Monken's introduction, where he took questions about the process and expectations for Monken as head coach.
Haslam made sure to drive home the collaboration process of the hire, emphasizing that he didn't select Monken; it was a "collective we."
"Well, first of all, I didn't pick him. OK? We picked him. But I say that we, capital 'We.' I want to thank Andrew and our team in terms of process, and process is extremely important in these searches because they're very emotional. There's all kinds of information out there, in all due respect, a lot of it, not accurate. And so by having an organized, disciplined process, which we stuck to, and I think the first coach, whoever hires the first coach or the second coach, is not necessarily the winner. Two years from now, nobody will remember whether Todd was the seventh or eighth coach hired, whatever he was. What counts is did we get the right guy? And I think our team laid out a good process, and I think we were disciplined throughout that process, the entire time up to last Wednesday when we announced Todd as our head coach," Haslam said.
He also addressed the attributes touted as Monken's strengths—player development and accountability—and why they were so important to the Browns in selecting a new head coach.
"I think all of us who have run organizations understand you have to have accountability. And as I mentioned, when JW and I interviewed or spent time with 30 or 40 of our players, if you said, give me one common word is, we need more accountability. So that stuck with us. And then player development, I believe we'll have the youngest team next year in the NFL. So obviously you need to have somebody who appreciates and is good at player development," he said.
He also said that Monken was at the top of their search throughout the entire process.
"Yeah, you'd go through a search process, and I think we started out with like 20, 25 candidates. I think we interviewed nine. I might be off by one there. And a search is, it's a little bit like this, it's a little bit of a rollercoaster. Somebody drops out, somebody comes in, you get better references or better test results on someone or worse. So it's a little bit of a roller coaster. I would say Todd was at the top of the list the entire time. I think our search lasted 20 days, and I'd say he was leading the pack or in the front pack the whole time," according to Haslam.
The standout attribute that Haslam said was on full display on Monken's first day truly leading the Browns was his realness and confidence, something they hope carries throughout his tenure as Browns head coach.
"I think players and really all of us want to see real guys. And what you saw today, that’s how Todd is. It wasn’t like, well, he’s not really … he might cuss a little more, but that’s really what Todd is like.. And you see the emotion, you see the faith, you see the drive, the work ethic, the confidence, what you saw for the 25 minutes he was up there today, that’s Todd Monken," Haslam said.
About Monken
The Browns entered their offseason looking for a new head coach after firing Kevin Stefanski, who spent six seasons with the team.
After weeks of interviewing candidates, the Browns announced last Wednesday that they landed on Monken to fill the role.
RELATED: Todd Monken becomes new head coach of the Cleveland Browns
While new to the head coach position, Monken is familiar with Cleveland. The 59-year-old was the Browns' offensive coordinator in 2019 under then-head coach Freddie Kitchens.
Monken left Cleveland after Kitchens' sole year as head coach, becoming Georgia's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He rejoined the NFL in 2023 with the Ravens, where he remained until taking on his new role in Cleveland.
Throughout his 36-year coaching career, Monken has held roles as a position coach on both offense and defense, offensive coordinator roles, and one head coaching stint at Southern Miss. He's worked with both NFL and collegiate teams, getting his start at Grand Valley State.
Monken has already begun building his staff, with league sources confirming that he is expected to bring Ravens offensive line coach George Warhop to the Browns in the same role—a position he held in Cleveland from 2009 to 2013. Switzer, a former player on the University of Akron's football team up until 2014, is expected to take the role of offensive coordinator, according to league sources.
