Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco is back for another year in the NFL. After speaking with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings regarding their quarterback position, Flacco is reuniting with the Cleveland Browns.
According to ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter, Flacco is signing with the Browns on a one-year deal worth $4 million, bringing him back to Cleveland. He led the Browns to the playoffs during the 2023 season and won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award that season.
According to Schefter, Flacco’s deal is worth up to $13 million with incentives, too.
Flacco started six games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2024 and threw for 1,761 yards and 12 touchdowns with seven interceptions. During the 2023 season, Flacco signed with the Browns midway through the year and started five games for them, going 4-1 as a starter while throwing for 1,616 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions in the regular season before the Browns were blown out in the AFC Wild Card Round against the Houston Texans.
The 40-year-old Flacco now joins a quarterback room featuring former Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett. The Browns will be without Deshaun Watson for the 2025 season after the highly paid QB re-tore his Achilles during the offseason while rehabbing from the torn Achilles suffered during the 2024 season.
That Flacco reportedly spoke with the Steelers and the Vikings isn’t a surprise. The Steelers are still awaiting a decision from 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and Flacco was connected to the Steelers at times through the offseason.
The Steelers know Flacco well due to his time in the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens and the Browns, so it’s not a surprise they spoke with him, especially with their need for a one-year stopgap at the position.
The Steelers saw Flacco last season in Week 4 against Indianapolis, when he led the Colts to an upset win over them after coming off the bench for the injured Anthony Richardson.
Now, they might see him twice in 2025, too, depending on what happens under center for the Browns. Pickett, who was traded by the Philadelphia Eagles to the Browns this offseason, stated he was hoping for a chance to compete for the starting job earlier this offseason. The addition of Flacco shouldn’t change that.
But what the addition of Flacco does is potentially signal the plan for the Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft at No. 2 overall. They could land one of Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter and then snag a quarterback at No. 33 overall to open the second round as they continue to try to fix their quarterback situation.
