CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Browns are bringing some of that Joe Flacco magic back to Cleveland.
They agreed to terms Friday on a one-year deal with Flacco, 40, worth $4 million, with incentives worth up to $13 million, a league source told cleveland.com. The Browns later announced the move themselves.
Flacco, heading into his 18th NFL season, came in and saved the day for the Browns in 2023, leading them to a 4-1 record down to the stretch and a wildcard berth in the playoffs after Deshaun Watson was lost for the season to a fractured shoulder. They lost to the Texans 45-14 in the wildcard game, but Flacco brought joy and fun back to the lakefront after Nick Chubb was lost early on to a devastating knee injury, and Watson went down.
He was voted NFL Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts, after spending the first 10 weeks of the season “on the couch” waiting for the phone to ring.
Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP with the Ravens, joins Kenny Pickett in the quarterback room, and Watson, who’s recovering from his retorn Achilles and will miss a significant portion of the season.
The Browns also have the No. 2 pick in the draft, and are considering Shedeur Sanders and other quarterbacks in the class. But they’re also strongly considering Sander’s Colorado teammate receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter at No. 2, and would then come back later with more of a developmental prospect. Hunter would give Flacco, Pickett or whoever starts at quarterback another formidable receiver to pair with Jerry Jeudy.
Flacco also spoke with the Vikings and Steelers, but preferred to return to a town and a team that treated him like royalty two seasons ago. Flacco wanted to re-sign with the Browns last season, but they opted for the younger Jameis Winston, now 31, instead. He joined the Colts, going 2-4 in place of the injured Anthony Richardson.
The Browns, in a quest for their quarterback of the future, have hosted five top prospects at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus for top 30 NFL draft visits in Cam Ward, who will go No. 1 to the Titans, Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough. If the Browns draft Hunter at No. 2, they can either trade back into the first round to get a QB, or possibly draft one at 33.
At the NFL Annual Meeting earlier this month, the Browns talked up Pickett, the No. 20 overall pick of the Steelers in 2022 who was later traded to the Eagles, as their possible starting quarterback this season. Now, he’ll have to beat out Flacco and the rookie.
The Flacco signing also effectively puts to rest the notion of the Browns acquiring Kirk Cousins in a trade with the Falcons. Cousins, who played some of his best ball under Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota, will consider waiving his trade clause after the draft when he discovers which team takes a potential starting quarterback.
This story will be updated.
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