Hours after Jimmy Haslam III was voted in as the new owner of the Browns, the changes continue in Cleveland.
Haslam told reporters Tuesday that Mike Holmgren will step down as team president and retire at the end of the season.
Former Philadelphia Eagles president Joe Banner will take over as CEO effective Oct. 25 and will work with Holmgren between now and the end of the year in a "seamless fashion to do everything we can to bring a winner to the Cleveland Browns," Haslam said.
The move comes as no surprise. Holmgren wasn't expected to linger as Haslam's regime settled in. Banner has been attached to the incoming ownership group from the start, and will take over football duties and run the team on a day-to-day basis.
Haslam described his relationship with Holmgren as amicable. The new owner said he hasn't decided the fate of coach Pat Shurmur, whose 5-17 record over two seasons includes just one win over a division rival.
Haslam said he and Banner will evaluate the state of the organization after the season.
We expect major changes. Holmgren was responsible for hiring general manager Tom Heckert and embattled coach Pat Shurmur. Their futures with the franchise are in question. Both men share past Eagles ties with Banner, but Holmgren called Shurmur his "last hire," today a prophetic statement.
The Browns are 10-28 over the past two-plus seasons under Holmgren, who previously coached the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks to a combined three Super Bowl appearances. Cleveland hasn't won a playoff game since January 1995.
That's a dark historical note Haslam and Banner hope to alter.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
