Browns fire Rob Chudzinski The Cleveland Browns fired coach Rob Chudzinski on Sunday night. Less than a year after touting Chudzinski as one of the bright young coaches in the NFL and a guy CEO Joe Banner said he had his eye on for a long time, the Browns let him go after one season as coach. The Browns still owe Chudzinski $10.5 million, league sources told ESPN Senior NFL Insider Chris Mortensen. A seven-game losing streak to end the season and a 4-12 overall mark apparently were too much to overcome. The team released a statement with the announcement. "We appreciate Chud's passion for the Browns, and we have great respect for him both personally and professionally," the statement, which was not attributed to any person, read. Cleveland plans to commence its head coaching search immediately, with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt expected to be among the candidates, league sources told Schefter. Chudzinski was hired Jan. 11 after the Browns fired Pat Shurmur less than a year ago. I was shocked and disappointed to hear the news that I was fired. I am a Cleveland Brown to the core, and always will be," Chudzinski said in a statement released Monday. It was an honor to lead our players and coaches, and I appreciate their dedication and sacrifice. I was more excited than ever for this team, as I know we were building a great foundation for future success. While clearly I would have liked to see the long-term vision through to the end, I am very grateful to Jimmy Haslam and the Haslam family for letting me live my dream. The Browns, including owner Jimmy Haslam, became convinced they made a mistake and did not want to continue down their current path with Chudzinski, sources told ESPN. After Sunday's 20-7 season-ending loss to the Steelers, Chudzinski called it simply "a difficult day." Chudzinski had to deal with an unsettled quarterback situation as the Browns started three different players at the position, going with Brandon Weeden in the season opener, turning to Brian Hoyer shortly afterward before he suffered a season-ending knee injury and ending the season with veteran Jason Campbell. This is the third time the Browns have gotten rid of Chudzinski, who grew up a Cleveland fan in Toledo, Ohio. Chudzinski coached the Browns tight ends for Butch Davis in 2004, and then returned to the team in '07, when he served two seasons as offensive coordinator under Romeo Crennel. Information from ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter and The Associated Press was used in this report.