Report: Cleveland Browns to hire Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator

The Cleveland Browns will hire Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator according to Alex Marvez, senior NFL reporter for FOX Sports 1. He broke the story via Twitter:

Source tells @foxsports that Kyle Shanahan is #browns new offensive coordinator

— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) February 1, 2014

A deal has yet to be reached and the team's official stance is that no final decision has been made.

A Browns spokesperson released the following statement: "Mike Pettine has not made the decision. He’s had some solid interviews but that determination has not been made."

Ian Rapoport, who said he believed that the Browns had "moved on" from Shanahan on Thurday, confirmed today's report of the hire and explained the possible change of heart:

From what I understand Kyle Shanahan was very blunt and honest in his interview. Turned the Browns off. A few days later, they reconsidered.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 1, 2014

However, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports said that isn't true. He added that Shanahan not only had a very impressive interview, but has been a favorite for the job since.

Browns never moved on from Kyle Shanahan. They've been in talks with him since his interview Wed. When he returns to US, deal to be done

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 1, 2014

La Canfora also said that no deal has been reached as Shanahan remains on vacation.

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Editor's note: This story was originally written moments prior to news of Kyle Shanahan's hiring. It chronicles the conflicting reports over the past several days leading up to now.

Don't blink. In what might be the strangest offseason the Cleveland Browns have had since expansion, you could miss a candidate come and go. Then come back again.

Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot reported this morning that Kyle Shanahan remains a legitimate candidate for the Browns' yet to be filled offensive coordinator position and that the team could make that hire soon. Shortly after, a source also confirmed the report to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Former Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is still very much in the mix to become the Browns offensive coordinator, two league sources told cleveland.com.

The club could be getting close to naming their man soon, one of the sources said.

This news came less than two days after the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Shanahan's interview on Wednesday "did not exactly go as planned," called it "long shot" for him to land the job, and based on what he was hearing, the Browns had "moved on."

Rapoport wasn't the only one hearing those things about the interview. Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland went into more detail during his appearance on The Really Big Show yesterday morning:

Grossi: "From what I understand, Shanahan expressed his opinion about the way the Browns handled firing of Chud. It did not go over well."

— Aaron Goldhammer (@HammerNation19) January 31, 2014

Cabot's sources said what sounds like just the opposite of Rapoport and Grossi, in a report from the day before:

League sources said Shanahan's interview went very well, but that a decision isn't imminent.

Meanwhile, despite the vacancy at OC, it hasn't stopped the Browns from filling out other positions on the offensive side of the ball. According to multiple reports, they hired Dowell Loggains as their QB coach on Thursday. The following day, the team hired Andy Moeller, formally of the Ravens, to be offensive line coach, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Neither of the two hires have been officially announced by the team yet.