Todd Monken takes the Browns to MetLife Stadium on Sunday as a head coach, seven years after the Jets interviewed him for the same title and went another way. Ahead of the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, the first-year Browns coach recalled what he heard from the Jets once that 2019 search ended, in a clip shared Friday by The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov.
Monken interviewed with New York in January 2019, when he was the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. The Jets hired Adam Gase; the message Monken shared came from a member of the organization who was part of that interview process.
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken takes notes during team OTAs at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus of the Cleveland Browns in Berea, Ohio on June 2, 2026.
“Don’t ever forget that you’re a Mercedes when you look in the mirror. You can’t control if they wanted a Lexus.”
Monken added that it “doesn’t matter how good of a Mercedes you are” when a team has a different car in mind, according to ClutchPoints.
It is a generous thing to tell a candidate on the wrong end of a decision, and it puts the outcome on the team’s preference instead of the candidate’s ability. It also leaves the candidate with a question that only gets answered years later, once both sides have a record to compare.
#Browns HC Todd Monken recalls what he was told after interviewing for the #Jets’ HC job in 2019, when they ultimately hired Adam Gase.
“Don’t ever forget that you’re a Mercedes when you look in the mirror. You can’t control if they wanted a Lexus.” https://t.co/l7Fsqx1qYS
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 9, 2026
How the Jets’ choice has aged since 2019
Gase went 9-23 in two seasons. Robert Saleh followed and went 20-36 before he was fired five games into 2024, and interim coach Jeff Ulbrich went 3-9 the rest of that season. Aaron Glenn is 4-17 in his second year, a worse start than either Gase or Saleh had through the same number of games. Since the Jets passed on Monken, their head coaches have a combined record of 36-85.
After that interview, Monken’s road ran straight to Cleveland. He became the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2019 under Freddie Kitchens, whose staff was fired after one season. He then called plays at Georgia and spent three seasons running Baltimore’s offense, including Lamar Jackson’s 2023 MVP season, before the Browns brought him back as HC.
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken during his introductory press conference at the Cleveland Browns training facility, Feb. 3, 2026, in Berea, Ohio.
His first team arrives at 3-1 with three straight wins. The Jets are 1-3. In last week’s game they managed 157 yards of offense, committed 12 penalties and held the ball for just over 17 minutes.
Monken also praised the coach who holds the Jets job now. “I’ve always been a big AG fan. They play hard,” Monken said. “He’s wired the right way, and he’ll have those guys ready to go.”
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