Jim Schwartz, Browns "game of chicken" may not be over
· Yahoo Sports
The Browns and former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz stared each other down, until Schwartz blinked.
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On Thursday, Schwartz resigned with the "expectation" that he won't coach in 2026.
But "expectations" change all the time. Which means that the game of chicken that began when the Browns passed over Schwartz for Todd Monken as the team's new head coach may not be over.
Schwartz, who is very smart (as some would say, "just ask him"), likely didn't fold the tents completely on coaching in 2026. Technically, however, that's the situation. He quit. He can't take another job. He's under contract with the Browns through 2026. And the Browns hold an option on his contract for 2027.
If there was no negotiated separation agreement between the Browns and Schwartz (and there absolutely should have been), what is Schwartz's play? As one source puts it, "He doesn't have a play."
Head coaches can be traded. Assistant coaches cannot be. This means that, for instance, if incoming (supposedly) Raiders coach Klint Kubiak wants to hire Schwartz as the new Las Vegas defensive coordinator, the Raiders can't call the Browns and offer a draft pick.
Or can they? It's possible that the Raiders and Browns could informally work out some other tentative trade involving players and/or draft picks, to be effective when the league year begins on March 11. Extra compensation for Schwartz could be buried into that transaction. Then, the Browns — in an apparent display of magnanimity — would release Schwartz from his remaining contractual obligations.
So it's over. Unless it isn't. And things could get interesting if/when Kubiak becomes the new head coach of the Raiders and if/when the Raiders try to find a way to get Schwartz to Las Vegas.