Pat Shurmur addresses future, reports of his firing after Week 17 loss

Cleveland Browns coach Pat Shurmur is expected to be fired following the season, and after his team's 24-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, he addressed the changes on the horizon.

Most notably, he said that he hasn't been in contact with new owner, Jimmy Haslem III, nor CEO Joe Banner, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot. In fact, Cabot tweeted that Shurmur said he hadn't spoken to either Haslem or Banner "in quite some time" and that he hadn't heard anything about the future heading into the game on Sunday.

The Associated Press' Tom Withers tweeted that Shurmur was short with reporters when asked about his imminent firing, telling some to check with their sources. Asked what he'd do if he were fired, Shurmur said he expected to be coaching next year.

The Browns went 9-23 in two years under Shurmur's guidance and showed signs of a brighter future this season with the rookie tandem of quarterback Brandon Weeden and running back Trent Richardson.