The Cleveland Browns confirmed the news on Monday, one day after they beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-18 in Sunday's Week 18 game.
"We have tremendous gratitude for Kevin's leadership of the Cleveland Browns over the last six seasons," team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslem said in a team statement.
"He is a good football coach and an even better person. We appreciate all his hard work and dedication to our organization, but our results over the last two seasons have not been satisfactory, and we believe a change at the head coaching position is necessary"
The Haslems confirmed that GM Andrew Barry will stay put and lead the search for a new head coach.
Two-time Coach of the Year
The 43-year-old Stefanski was brought in as the successor to Freddie Kitchens in 2020 and led the Browns to their first AFC playoff berth since 2002 and first postseason win since 1994, following an 11-5 season, the best since the Browns returned to Cleveland in 1999.
Stefanski was awarded the AP NFL Coach of the Year award following his debut season.
In the two seasons following Stefanski's debut, the Browns failed to finish with a winning record as QB Baker Mayfield left and former Houston Texan Deshaun Watson joined.
The Browns and Stefanski returned to the playoffs in 2023 after finishing second in the AFC North with an 11-6 record, but lost to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round. Stefanski was awarded his second AP NFL Coach of the Year award, making him the 13th head coach in league history to win the award more than once.
Stefanski signed a contract extension in June 2024, but went 8-26 in the two seasons that followed. The Browns finished 5-12 in Stefanski's last season in charge.
Second coaching change
The Browns became the first NFL team to fire their head coach on 'Black Monday', the Monday following the final games of the NFL regular season.
On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot following an 8-9 season.
Kevin Stefanski is now expected to be a prime candidate in the new hiring cycle.