Joe Flacco open to returning to Browns, ‘all things being equal’

Veteran QB still wants to play, but Cleveland is a spot he feels good about if it plays out that way in free agency.

The Cleveland Browns have one major question to answer at quarterback this offseason.

Barring an unforeseen situation, Deshaun Watson will have recovered from his shoulder surgery and resume his spot as the starting quarterback. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who saw playing time as a rookie in 2023, will occupy one of the other seats in the quarterback room.

That just leaves the veteran backup quarterback spot for General Manager Andrew Berry to check off his list, a role that carries a fair amount of importance for the Browns given that they can’t afford to have their playoff aspirations fall by the wayside this fall if Watson were to be injured again.

There are numerous options to explore when free agency opens next week, from the improbable – Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, and Mason Rudolph leap to mind – to reuniting with former Cleveland quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett or Tyrod Taylor.

One player who continues to be linked to the Browns and who would fall under the reunion banner is Joe Flacco, who joined the team late last season and proceeded to give everyone “Flacco Fever” in helping lead the Browns to the playoffs.

Flacco appeared on The SiriusXM Blitz show on Wednesday, and when asked about sticking around for another year, said he is open to a second act in Cleveland, “all things being equal”:

“Listen, I talked to my agent this weekend to kind of see what kind of opportunities are out there. I can tell you that, all things equal, Cleveland is definitely the place that I would feel best about. Then you have to get into the world of is someone actually going to give me a chance to play and all the 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. At the end of the day, I don’t want that to be a huge part of the decision, but it will factor into the decision if I have a decision to make.

“Obviously if I go back to Cleveland I have to wrap my mind around the idea (of being the backup). Obviously I want to play football … and that probably is the biggest factor. But you can’t make that decision without any hard things laid in front of you and sit down with your family and see what is best. There are all kinds of things that I could take you through that would factor into my decision. I can honestly say that Cleveland is an unbelievable place and it will hold a special value when I make those decisions.”

There is certainly a comfort level in bringing back Flacco as he showed last year that he can have success in the offensive system. (Just ignore those pesky pick-sixes.) And the team and Flacco’s representatives have reportedly been talking about spending another season together.

As Flacco said in the clip, he still wants to play and that is not going to happen in Cleveland unless Watson is injured again. So if an opportunity arises when free agency officially opens on March 13, then it would not be surprising to see him take a chance with another team.

But if those starting opportunities do not materialize, then it is sounding more and more like Flacco will be back for another season.