Look what the cat dragged in. Age is just a number when it comes to how undeniably elite Joe Flacco is. The veteran free agent is returning to the Cleveland Browns on a one-year deal worth $4 million, one that has up to $13 million in incentives baked into it. Flacco was the starting quarterback down the stretch for the 2023 Browns who made the playoffs before completely collapsing this past year.
So what does this mean for the Browns and the rest of the league at large? Well, for starters, this almost certainly means that Cleveland is not going to take former Colorado Buffaloes star Shedeur Sanders with the No. 2 overall pick. Flacco is not going to be making a ton of money this season, but Cleveland is only signing him with the intention that he plays. Sanders might experience a stumble...
This signing also indicates, probably even more so, that Kirk Cousins is not going to be traded to the Browns by the Atlanta Falcons. He has expressed that he wants to be traded, but is not willing to waive his no-trade clause until after the 2025 NFL Draft to avoid having his immediate successor be in the same building as him. Simply put, he does not want another threat like Michael Penix Jr. at all.
Flacco may or may not elevate the Browns' low ceiling this year, but Sanders is likely going elsewhere.
Reunion: the Cleveland Browns and veteran quarterback Joe Flacco reached agreement today on a one-year, $4 million deal worth up to $13 million with incentives, his agency @JLSports3 told ESPN. Flacco now will return to Cleveland, where he won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the… pic.twitter.com/pOaCuhrVmS
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 11, 2025
Is this the right decision for the Browns to make to seemingly pass on Sanders and/or Cousins?
Cleveland Browns decide Joe Flacco is the answer Shedeur Sanders is not
Look. This was never going to be a season where the Browns were expected to do much at all. They may have been a playoff team two years ago, but only won three games this past season. While they were able to somehow convince superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett to stay, I would be stunned if this team sniffs the playoffs this year. 2026 might be their best shot at getting back into contention.
By taking Flacco, this almost certainly indicates that the Browns will take either Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter or Sanders' Colorado teammate in 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick. Yes, they could conceivably trade back to get more capital, but now may not be the offseason for them to invest heavily in a up-and-coming quarterback. The 2026 NFL Draft is the time.
As for what happens to Sanders and Cousins, I would expect that Sanders will still probably go inside the top 10 of the NFL Draft. He may go to the New Orleans Saints, but they have other holes to fill. Odds are, somebody like the Pittsburgh Steelers will move heaven and earth to trade up for him. As for Cousins, he may have to accept he is Penix's backup, or hope he is the one going to Pittsburgh.
Signing Flacco is probably not the move I would have made, but I think it might work for the Browns.