Report: Browns About to Make Big Push to Hire Hue Jackson

The Cleveland Browns have finished interviewing all of the head coaching candidates they originally had lined up, with today being the first day they haven't had an interview scheduled. Most of today seemed like the calm before the storm, but the storm might be ready to arrive as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network is saying that the Browns are about to make a big push to hire Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson.

Things are about to get interesting. #Browns are set to make a big push to hire Hue Jackson, source said. They'd like to close it out.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2016

Browns are a legit contender for Hue Jackson in large part because they offered a big say in personnel, sources say.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 11, 2016

After his Saturday playoff loss to the Steelers, Jackson interviewed with the 49ers and the Browns on Sunday. According to Mike Silver, both interviews went well, but neither team had made an offer by the end of the night. The New York Giants are now trying to line up an interview with Jackson, and Cleveland might want to raise the stakes by swooping in before they get a chance to interview him. It's also possible that Jackson's camp is using Cleveland as bait for either the 49ers or Giants jobs.

Browns fans should proceed with a bit of caution when it comes to Rapoport. Although he is an insider, Cleveland fans will never let him forgot about when he all-but-confirmed that Chip Kelly was being hired by the Browns a few years ago. He also said that TE Jordan Cameron was re-signing with the Browns this past offseason.