The Cleveland Browns are coming off their best season in a long time — posting their best record since 2007. I wonder if the firing of Hue Jackson had anything to do with it …
Now that the Browns know that the head coach position is an important one, they'll be looking to land a qualified candidate for the 2019 campaign.
Gregg Williams did a fine job as interim HC, leading the team to a 5-3 record. He technically has the best winning percentage as a Browns head coach since Blanton Collier in the 1960s.
Williams is on the odds list at +1143, but nowhere close to the Browns' offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens.
Kitchens took over at the same time as Williams did, taking Todd Haley's spot as OC. Many folks attribute the Browns' success to how Kitchens was able to get Baker Mayfield going.
Mayfield had a sub-80 QB rating in the pre-Kitchens days (his first eight games) and one higher than 105 after Kitchens took over.
Cleveland has denied other teams the chance to interview Kitchens, as he is still under contract. He could still return next year in this same role, but oddsmakers think there's a 33% chance he gets promoted.
Mike McCarthy, who's been heavily linked to the Browns for a while now, has the second best odds at +532. Cleveland is set to interview the ex-Packers coach next week. There are plenty of coaching vacancies around the league and given his long-term success with Green Bay, he's bound to get a head coaching gig somewhere.
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Josh McDaniels of the Patriots is next on the list. Apparently, McDaniels is very interested in the Cleveland job and holds Mayfield in high regard. Rather than stick around in New England or go to a team like Green Bay with an aging QB, he could try and start a dominant run with a young, talented QB like Mayfield.
Don't forget about the "field," which has odds that are better than anyone but Kitchens. We may think we know all of the top candidates, but these odds suggest that there's a bit more than a 20% chance someone else gets the job.
