Soon, Joe Flacco will see just how much his 4-1 record with the Browns, 13 touchdown passes during that time, which ties him for second in the NFL, and four 300-yard performances pleased NFL teams.
When the negotiation window starts on March 11 and the league formally opens for business on March 13, Flacco, 39, intends to test the waters as a free agent, a league source told Cleveland.com. While Flacco and the Browns have both indicated interest in seeing each other again, Flacco would like to sign with a team that either sees him as a starter or offers him an opportunity to challenge for the starting job.
The NFL Comeback Player of the Year, Flacco demonstrated that he has plenty left in the tank, but it remains to be seen if anyone will give him a chance to start at his age. Even Jacoby Brissett, who also has starting ability, found it tough to land a QB1 gig last season. After signing an $8 million contract with the Commanders, he backed up Sam Howell and didn’t start any games.
There will be plenty of veteran quarterbacks on the move, including Brissett, Baker Mayfield and Gardner Minshew, and there might not be enough starting jobs to go around. But Flacco certainly showed the NFL that he can win games with the right supporting cast. If he gets the “bridge” money that Brissett got, he’ll likely take it. Former Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is now running the QB-needy New England offense, and he knows as well as anyone what Flacco can do. It remains to be seen if he’ll try to recreate the Flacco magic there.
If Flacco doesn’t find greener pastures, he’d love to remain in Cleveland, even though it means backing up Deshaun Watson. If he signs elsewhere, the Browns will turn their attention to other veteran backups such as Brissett. For those who covet Minshew, he’ll aim for a starting job. Cleveland native Mitchell Trubisky, whom the Browns loved in the 2017 draft, is also free.
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