With Flacco back in the fold, the Browns have a veteran quarterback on the roster whom they can trust to run the offense in 2025.
With less than two weeks until the 2025 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns‘ long-awaited quarterback signing has arrived.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday morning that the Browns and Joe Flacco reached agreement on a one-year, $4 million deal that could reach $13 million with incentives. The move brings Flacco back to Cleveland, where he won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023 and helped lead the Browns to the playoffs amid quarterback turmoil.
It could also give a glimpse of the team’s plans at the top of the draft, where it’s becoming more plausible Cleveland bypasses a quarterback. Schefter reported earlier this week that it’s becoming more likely the Browns take Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick.
Throughout the offseason, the Browns have been mum on their plans to bring stability at the quarterback position after four different players attempted a pass in 2024. Deshaun Watson, who is expected to miss most of 2025 with an Achilles injury, posted the lowest Total QBR in the NFL before tearing his Achilles in October. Jameis Winston, who left this offseason as a free agent, invigorated the offense but was benched after throwing eight interceptions in three games. And Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw zero touchdowns and three interceptions in two games before being benched for Bailey Zappe, the 40th quarterback to start for the franchise since 1999, in the season finale.
Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry said during his end-of-season news conference in January that the quarterback room would „look different next year.“ But otherwise, the team hadn’t done much to address the position this offseason. Cleveland traded for Kenny Pickett in the first week of free agency, sending the Philadelphia Eagles a fifth-round pick and Thompson-Robinson.
