The Cleveland Browns had a very interesting 2023 season when starting running back Nick Chubb was lost for the rest of the season with a knee injury in Week Two, and then starting quarterback Deshaun Watson only started in six games and was ruled out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury in the middle of November.
Cleveland turned to veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, who had been sitting on his couch for most of the season before joining the team on November 20th.
Flacco would start the last five regular season games going 4-1 and throwing 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Flacco’s magic would run out in the Wild Card round of the playoff against the Houston Texans, where he threw back-to-back pick-sixes, but Flacco was able to bring a very banged-up Browns team to the postseason, and that was a miracle, to begin with.
Joe Flacco tells @SiriusXMNFL radio that his 1st choice is still to start games; but the #Browns are his top choice for a backup role: https://t.co/W0R6zncVQp
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 6, 2024
Flacco will be heading into free agency next week, and he said about maybe returning to the Browns.
Flacco Still Has Interest In Staying With The Cleveland Browns
The 39-year-old quarterback was on NFL Sirius XM radio on Wednesday and stated All things equal, Cleveland is definitely the place that I would feel the best about,”
Flacco was referring to Cleveland as the place he would want to be if he were only offered a backup quarterback job from every other NFL team, but if a starting job opened up, things would be different.
Per a league source, Mike Florio from ProFootballTalk stated, “A reunion with the Browns is Flacco’s first choice. He loves playing there the team, the city, the fans, everything. The two sides met regarding the possibility last week, at the Scouting Combine.”
Flacco Would Have To Sit Behind Watson
Flacco would only return to Cleveland as a backup to Deshaun Watson. The only way Flacco would start next season for the Browns is if Watson isn’t ready to play in Week One or if he suffers another injury throughout the season.
Watson is heading into year three in Cleveland and has played in 12 games, a smaller sample size. And was also guaranteed 230 million dollars and was traded for a boatload of picks, including three first-rounders.
Watson hasn’t shown much in his little time in Cleveland, but the Browns aren’t giving up on him anytime soon since they invested so much in him.
Would it be neat to see Flacco return and back up Watson? Of course, he played very well last year, and Cleveland loves him, and he loves the city. Still, Flacco is 39 years old and doesn’t have much time left to play in the NFL, so a team could offer him to start as a bridge quarterback this season or until their rookie quarterback gets ready, and he has to bounce at that opportunity.
Cleveland fans will always be thankful for Flacco, who gave them hope when the season seemed lost, but Flacco needs to do what is best for him, his family, and his career. If he gets offered a starting job, there is no way he can turn that down.