Cleveland Browns fire head coach Pat Shurmur

December 31, 2012 at 9:24a.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The brief Pat Shurmur tenure is over. The Plain Dealer has confirmed that Shurmur has been fired by the Browns after two years as head coach.

General Manager Tom Heckert is also expected to be fired today.

Shurmur, hired by Heckert and former team president Mike Holmgren, leaves with a 9-23 record as an NFL coach.

Both Shurmur and Heckert are expected to have other opportunities before too long. Shurmur might be a candidate for the Vikings’ offensive coordinator job, according to CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanfora. Heckert is expected to draw interest from several teams with general manager vacancies.

One or both might also have a chance to be reunited with Andy Reid, who’s expected to be fired by the Eagles. Reid reportedly has already been calling around to assemble his staff and has his sights set on the San Diego job, according to profootballtalk.com.

Both Shurmur and Heckert had known for a while that the ax was likely to fall right after the season.

For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Vindicator or vindy.com