Things appear to be shaking out in favor of the Cleveland Browns on multiple fronts as free agency approaches.
On Saturday, March 9, Cleveland sent the Denver Broncos a fifth- and sixth-round pick for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, a former first-round selection in 2020. The same day, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported there is a “good chance” that quarterback Joe Flacco winds up back with the Browns for the 2024 campaign.
The Browns and Flacco have stated their mutual interest since the end of the season, and by next week that could become a reality.
Flacco had hoped that his 4-1 record in his final five games and his four straight 300 yard outings might be enough to attract some starting attention. But when his agent, Joe Linta, took the pulse of quarterback-needy teams at the NFL combine last week, the market for such an opportunity wasn’t there.
The Browns and Flacco’s side have remained in close contact and are ready to close a deal depending on how things go over the next few days.
Joe Flacco Wants to Play, May Have Better Shot as Backup for Browns Than Elsewhere
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco.
Flacco has stated his desire to return to Cleveland multiple times, though he’s always left the door open to leaving based on circumstances.
“All things equal, Cleveland is definitely the place that I would feel the best about,” Flacco told SiriusXM NFL Radio last week, per Nick Shook of NFL.com. “Now, then you have to get into the world of is somebody actually going to give me a chance to play, and all the different things that go into that. But I can’t help but have a special feeling about Cleveland. Just because of the few weeks that I spent there and how great the city was. I don’t necessarily want that to be all of the decision, but I do think that it will factor into the decision.”
Flacco has always been clear about his desire to play, and he said on Wednesday that if he returns to Cleveland, he will do so with the knowledge that he’s going to be the No. 2 guy behind Deshaun Watson to start the season.
“Obviously, I want to play football,” Flacco said. “That’s also a really, really, really big factor — probably the biggest factor. But that’s what I’m saying. I don’t think you can really make that decision without any hard things laid in front of you.”
Watson suffered a shoulder injury in 2023 that kept him out of all but six regular season games. Watson’s durability and consistency issues should offer Flacco some hope of getting a starting shot at some point in 2024, and perhaps securing the job full-time based on how that chance plays out.
Browns Also Looking at Potential Reunion With Former Starting QB Jacoby Brissett
GettyQuarterback Jacoby Brissett of the Washington Commanders.
Depending on how Flacco’s situation develops over the next several days, Cleveland may also take a hard look at a reunion with another former starting quarterback.
“The Browns have also kept their eye on Jacoby Brissett, and if he doesn’t find a starting chance in the negotiating window, he’s also a candidate to return to Cleveland,” Cabot wrote Saturday.
Brissett started the first 11 games of the 2022 campaign for the Browns, earning a record of 4-7, as Watson was sidelined by an NFL suspension. Brissett left last season for a chance at the starting job with the Washington Commanders, but will become a free agent again on March 13.
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‘Good Chance’ Browns Bring Back Former Starting QB in 2024: Report