The news of Joe Flacco signing with the Cleveland Browns wasn't too surprising. It's a reunion that's high on comfort, after Flacco won NFL Comeback Player of the Year two years ago in Cleveland, and low on upside.
It also doesn't move the needle much for the 2025 Browns. In a perfect world Flacco replicates what he did two seasons ago, but that becomes less likely at 40 years old.
But it does offer clues about the other quarterback moves around the NFL.
The Browns had always been a reasonable landing place for Kirk Cousins in a possible trade, or a team that could make moves to draft a quarterback on day one. With a quarterback room of Flacco, Kenny Pickett and whatever Deshaun Watson is to the team at this point, adding another high-profile quarterback seems unlikely.
Now what happens to those players?
Where will Kirk Cousins be?
As the offseason started it seemed impossible that Cousins would be on the Falcons. But the Falcons never seemed to agree with that.
The Falcons held onto Cousins as the offseason started. They paid a $10 million bonus early in the league year. There has been no strong sign that the Falcons would trade Cousins, not that it stopped the speculation.
Going back to last year, Atlanta has thought about the quarterback position in a different way. They drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick of the draft after signing Cousins and were widely mocked. That move looked smart when Cousins bombed last season and Penix looked good late in the season. The Falcons committed to Penix as their starter for 2025 but didn't just dump Cousins. They'd already were committed to a good portion of his $180 million contract and didn't want to get rid of him with nothing in return. So they're paying for a high-priced backup. It's unusual, but there is value in having a reliable backup. Probably more value than whatever late-round pick the Falcons might get back for Cousins in a trade.
Yet, the Browns option always seemed possible and not just because Cousins was spotted getting a burrito in Ohio. It would be very unusual for the Browns to add Pickett, then add Flacco and then trade for Cousins in one offseason. With Cousins presumably off the table it doesn't seem there are any options for Cousins other than the Falcons, unless the Pittsburgh Steelers get stood up by Aaron Rodgers or there's a quarterback injury down the line.
Any idea that the Browns could still draft a quarterback like Shedeur Sanders is probably out as well.
What's the Browns' long-term QB plan?
It seemed obvious over the past few weeks that the Browns weren't going with a quarterback at second overall. Travis Hunter at No. 2 is getting a lot of buzz, Abdul Carter is still a great option but there hasn't been much talk about Sanders.
While signing a 40-year-old Flacco shouldn't change the Browns' draft plans in any way, it is a sign they don't think any of the quarterbacks in this year's class are legitimate options to play in 2025. That doesn't mean the Browns couldn't take a long-term project later on in the draft, but it wouldn't make sense to invest in one of the top quarterbacks and add him to a room that includes Flacco and former first-round pick Pickett. The Browns' plan at quarterback is hazy, to say the least, but it seems they're waiting for 2026's quarterback class to make a commitment.
Flacco gives the Browns a veteran option, and the team is hoping he can replicate his wholly unexpected finish to the 2023 season in which he helped the Browns make the playoffs. Flacco didn't look great last season for the Indianapolis Colts, but maybe being back in Kevin Stefanski's offense will reinvigorate him.
Most likely it'll be a forgettable move for a team that won't compete in the AFC North this season. But it did have some
