How Browns reuniting with Joe Flacco impacts their draft plans

Even earlier than the Cleveland Browns formally reunited with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco on Friday, latest experiences advised Cleveland seemingly will choose Colorado extensive receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter or Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter over Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the second total decide of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

Afterward Friday morning, Professional Soccer Discuss’s Mike Florio shared how the main points of Flacco’s contract present that signing him could have no actual affect on Cleveland’s draft plans because it pertains to the membership’s long-term quarterback scenario. 

“Per a supply with data of the phrases,” Florio wrote, “Flacco will make $6M if he’s the 2025 starter and if the Browns don’t make it to the postseason. If he’s the starter and the Browns do make it to the postseason, he’ll make $8M. To get to $13M, sure unrealistic issues have to occur. Together with, most unrealistically, Flacco should be named the All-Professional quarterback.”

There is not any assure Flacco will win the 2025 Week 1 beginning job over former Pittsburgh Steelers flop Kenny Pickett and a yet-to-be-drafted rookie. Whereas Flacco turned a Cleveland sports activities cult hero when he guided the 2023 Browns to a playoff berth en path to successful the Related Press NFL Comeback Participant of the Yr Award, he extra just lately performed poorly in back-to-back November begins whereas with the Indianapolis Colts.

Particularly, he tossed 4 interceptions, misplaced two fumbles, took seven sacks and really a lot regarded like a past-his-prime 40-year-old in these defeats. 

“Per a supply with data of the scenario,” Florio added in one other article, “Flacco’s full assure at signing is $3M. With Kenny Pickett at $2,623,350 (absolutely assured) and Deshaun Watson at $46M (absolutely assured), that’s $51.623M in money commitments to Cleveland quarterbacks for 2025. That doesn’t essentially knock them out of the dialog for an additional quarterback within the draft. They nonetheless want three on the lively depth chart (Watson seemingly received’t be one in every of them), and a rookie would come at a low value, relative to a veteran.”

Watson seemingly will not ever once more play a significant down for the Browns after he suffered a torn Achilles this previous October after which tore the Achilles once more throughout his restoration. 

Florio famous that the Browns might add a number of gamers to their quarterback room earlier than the preseason involves an finish and finally half methods with both Flacco or Pickett earlier than Week 1. Thus, Cleveland might nonetheless both commerce again into the primary spherical for a quarterback or wait to seize a prospect resembling Louisville’s Tyler Shough at total decide No. 33. 

In brief, Friday’s developments actually do not change something relating to how Browns normal supervisor Andrew Berry will deal with the occasions of April 24. 

“With Flacco again within the fold,” ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi defined, “the Browns have a veteran quarterback on the roster who they’ll belief to run the offense. That might be a super situation for a corporation that understands it may not get a rookie quarterback ready-made to begin from Day 1 however needs to be aggressive and rebound from its 3-14 end final season.”