Sense in Browns that Pettine's last game is Sunday
Time appears ready to run out on Mike Pettine's time with the Cleveland Browns.
NFL Media's Rand Getlin reported Friday, via multiple sources, that there's a sense within the Browns' organization that Sunday's game against the Steelers will mark the last time Pettine will coach the Browns.
While nothing definitive has been communicated to Pettine, according to Getlin, team owner Jimmy Haslam declined to give Pettine any assurances regarding his future with the team during discussions last week.
Pettine told reporters on Thursday that he hadn't heard from Haslam about his future beyond Sunday.
"I didn't ask, and my focus each week, just like the players' should be, is my job, which is getting the team prepared."
Pettine enters Week 17 with a 10-21 record since taking over as Cleveland's head coach prior to the 2014 season. Prior to joining the Browns, Pettine had served as the defensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills (2013) and New York Jets (2009-2012).
In 2014, Pettine signed a four-year deal with a club option for a fifth year. Browns owner Haslam said last summer he didn't plan to "blow it up" after the season, but opinions obviously changed after the Browns lost 12 of their first 15 games in 2015.