Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken made an honest admission about his interest towards joining John Harbaugh and the New York Giants as their offensive coordinator.
Monken embraced the responsibilities as the Browns next head coach, replacing Kevin Stefanski. He moved on from the Baltimore Ravens after three seasons as their offensive coordinator. He previously served as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator throughout the 2019 season, where the team went 6-10 under head coach Freddie Kitchens.
Monken was present at the NFL’s Scouting Combine as he addressed the media on Wednesday, per reporter Paul Schwartz. He confirmed that he would have become Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the Giants had he not gotten the job with the Browns.
“Of course, I mean of course. I mean, I was hopeful that I would get the Cleveland Browns head coaching job. That’d be silly to say that I wasn’t hopeful of that, but I was excited to go to New York with coach,” Monken said.
Todd Monken would have been the Giants offensive coordinator if the Browns didn’t hire him as their head coach. Asked him about almost joining John Harbaugh in New York. pic.twitter.com/EajPHXMw2g
— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) February 25, 2026
What lies ahead for Todd Monken, Browns
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Todd Monken would have loved to represent John Harbaugh and the Giants, hoping to bring them back into serious playoff contention.
However, he couldn’t pass up the major opportunity of having his first year as a head coach in the NFL. That was something the Browns were more than happy to accept.
Monken has plenty of responsibilities and objectives to handle ahead of the 2026 season. Cleveland hasn’t returned to the playoffs since the 2022-23 campaign, last making the AFC Divisional Round in the 2020-21 season.
The Browns ended a six-year stint with Kevin Stefanski, making the playoffs twice in 2020 and 2023. However, the team’s struggles in the last two seasons prompted a need for change, seeing Cleveland fire Stefanski after the 2025 campaign ended. He later joined the Atlanta Falcons to become their next head coach.
The Browns will look to have a better period of winning success under Monken. They went 8-26 in their last two seasons, hoping a resurgent campaign with the defensive talent they have at their disposal.
