ATLANTA — Kurt Warner wasn’t surprised when Freddie Kitchens became head coach of the Browns earlier this month.

The tight ends coach for the Cardinals when Warner led them to a Super Bowl after the 2008 season, Kitchens informed the Hall of Fame quarterback a while back that he had head coaching aspirations.

“I talked to him a couple of years ago when he was in Arizona and Bruce Arians was moving on (soon), and at that point in time he felt he was ready to step into a head coaching job,’’ Warner, the NFL Network analyst told cleveland.com on Wednesday. “He never really got the opportunity at that point in time, so when it came around this time, I know he was excited to just have the opportunity to present himself and what he would be as a head coach.’’

After following Kitchens’ career from afar since he left the Cardinals in 2009, Warner is not surprised to see the success Kitchens had with Baker Mayfield last season. With Kitchens as offensive coordinator for the final eight games, Mayfield threw 19 touchdowns against only eight interceptions, and earned a 106.2 rating.

“He’s a different coach now than he was when I was with him,’’ Warner said. “(It was) very early in his career at that point and learning the ropes and those things but I think he’s picked up things from a lot of different coaches that have had a lot of great success in this game, and I think we saw that correlate to what he did with Baker and what they did offensively when he took over, and so I’m excited for him.’’

From a personality and leadership standpoint, he said the Kitchens is the same now as he was with the Cardinals.

“I think what you’re getting from Freddie is kind of what you’ve seen to this point," he said. “What you see is what you get. He’s not going to become something different.

“He’s not going to put on any fronts. He’s kind of a good ol’ boy that kind of tells you like it is. He’s going to put in the time and the effort that it needs. He’s going to relate great to the players because he’s going to be straightforward with them. Obviously we’ve seen what he’s done as a coach.’’

As quarterbacks coach for the Cardinals from 2013-16, Kitchens helped Carson Palmer establish multiple single-season team records, including passing yards (4,671), touchdown passes (35), and passer rating (104.6).

“I’m extremely excited for (Kitchens) and the opportunity it presents for him and I think he’s going to do a great job,’’ said Warner.