Cleveland Browns’ New Head Coach Todd Monken Gets Exposed As Nasty Report Of Him Trash-Talking The Team Resurfaces
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
An old report of Todd Monken insulting the Cleveland Browns’ franchise has resurfaced, hours after he was named their new head coach.
On Wednesday morning, the Browns hired the former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator as their new head coach. Todd Monken had spent the previous three years as the OC under John Harbaugh, replacing Greg Roman after the 2022 season.
After the Browns hired Monken, internet sleuths dug up an old report about him insulting the Cleveland football team. Oddly, this happened while Monken was the Browns’ offensive coordinator under Freddie Kitchens in 2019.
Here’s what Zac Jackson of The Athletic reported six years ago:
“Speaking of disgruntled offensive coordinators, Todd Monken’s one season with the Browns was a disaster. Monken had the offensive coordinator title but Kitchens called the plays, and it was clear that Kitchens and Monken were never on the same page.
Multiple sources told The Athletic that late in the season, Monken would spend time on the field before games telling opposing coaches how bad things were with the Browns, calling the team a “total mess” and saying that Kitchens’ Sunday play calling generally steered away from most things that had been in the game plan from Wednesday-Saturday.”
Well, file Cleveland’s decision to hire Monken under “What could possibly go wrong?”
Truly hilarious outcome from where Monken and the Browns were six years ago https://t.co/ayAZ11WkUX pic.twitter.com/i8RP50n7mo
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) January 28, 2026
The Ravens fired John Harbaugh after a disappointing 8-9 finish. He has since been hired by the New York Giants. With Cleveland hiring Monken, Harbaugh will have to look elsewhere for his offensive coordinator in the Big Apple.
With Monken getting hired, the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders are the last two teams to fill their HC vacancies.
Todd Monken Is A Questionable Hire By Browns
Monken is certainly a curious hire here, and it’s not because of what he said about the organization six years ago.
He wasn’t exactly a “great” offensive coordinator in Baltimore. We saw how much the Ravens faltered when Lamar Jackson was sidelined. Monken was hardly an upgrade over Greg Roman, who unlocked Jackson’s potential during his first MVP season in 2019.
In today’s NFL, teams are usually hiring young, offensive-minded head coaches. Monken turns 60 next week and has never been an NFL head coach. His only HC gig was at Southern Miss, from 2013 to 2015.
At any rate, the Browns feel confident that Monken is the right man for the job. We’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out.
