Browns Fire Head Coach Freddie Kitchens After First Season in Charge

Freddie Kitchens increasingly appeared to be in way over his head in his first season as Cleveland Browns head coach. And that's all he's going to get.

As first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen and later confirmed by the team itself, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has fired Kitchens after just one season on the job.

Kitchens was a hot name on the head coaching market last winter after some lights-out performances by then-rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield down the stretch. Instead of retaining Kitchens as offensive coordinator, the Browns opted to promote him to head coach for 2019 despite the lack of experience.

Even with Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry added to the ranks, however, the offense was stagnant this season, and Mayfield only regressed on the field in his second pro campaign. As the season limped toward its conclusion, Kitchens was seen getting into heated verbal exchanges with his star receivers.

It was all over but the shouting. The Browns had reportedly already begun reaching out to potential replacements even before Week 17 kicked off.

The Browns team as a whole was an undisciplined unit under Kitchens, exemplified by owning the most penalty yards in the league by a wide margin. He won't have an opportunity to redeem himself after a 6-10 season, and is now headed to the unemployment line.