Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam Hires Consultant Jed Hughes In Coach Search

The Cleveland Browns have been in a downfall state during the past two seasons, with the team going 10-22 in the regular season and not showing any signs of improvements in players and coaches. This latest season saw the departure of head coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer and yet another coaching search underway for the organization.

After taking blame for the dismal time the Browns have been through, owner Jimmy Haslam has reached outside of the NFL to be in agreement with an independent consulting firm to help fill the head coach and general manager positions. The consultant hired by Haslam is Jed Hughes, who used to be an assistant coach back in 1989 and now works for Korn/Ferry International. Haslam has little knowledge of the coach search since he bought the Browns in 2012 and has only dealt with two head coach changes since he has been owner, so bringing in a consultant like Hughes seems to make sense. Hughes has been the backbone in success stories with NFL teams finding the right head coach. He helped the Seahawks hire Super-Bowl winning coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider and connected the Chiefs with head coach Andy Reid.

This is the first time the Browns have used an outside consultant since the team’s return to the NFL during the 1999 season. “We’ve used Korn Ferry a lot in our other lives (at Pilot Flying J) and had gotten to know Jed,” Haslam said. During the interviews, Haslam, Hughes, and new vice president of football operations Sashi Brown will conduct the interviews with Haslam having the ultimate say in who could be the next head coach.

Photo: CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 26: Team owner Jimmy Haslam of the Cleveland Browns watches from the sidelines during the second half against the Oakland Raiders at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Raiders 23-13. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)