Bear, Ohio – Joe Flaco, 40, is an elder politician in the quarterback room for the Cleveland Browns.
However, Flacco repeated that he was not trying to take the backseat and coach the team’s young passersby, but rather led the example to win the quarterback competition.
“It’s not really about that. It’s not the main focus,” Flacco said Wednesday after the Browns’ second OTA practice. “I think of myself as a guy who can play in this league, so if your main focus is just going to get you ready, you’re not just taking care of the business. Honestly, it’s about showing people how you can go to work and like I said, they want them to pick up that thing.
Flacco is one of four healthy quarterbacks, competing for the Browns’ starting job along with 2020 first-round pick Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Desshaun Watson remains on the sidelines of Achilles’ right injuries, who said the team would sacrifice a significant portion of the 2025 season.
In April, Flacco signed a one-year contract worth $4 million to return to Cleveland, winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023, leading the Browns to the playoffs after being signed later in the season. Flacco spent the 2024 season with the Indianapolis Colts, making it 2-4 as a starter.
“Joe has the ability to physically throw football, and he looks the same to me,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “…It’s just fun to have veterans in that room, young people in the quarterback room. They really feed each other. And certainly, Joe has a lot to explain the guys and a lot of wisdom to tell people who have appeared in his career.”
During practice on Wednesday, Flacco split the first team reps with a picket and team drill. The two were often followed by Gabriel, and Sanders actually took charge. Stefanski again downplayed the importance of the rep, saying that orders differ over the course of the offseason workout program.
Pickett likened Flacco’s presence, entering his 18th NFL season to the coach’s presence due to his vast experience.
“It’s like a guy who’s played so many football has another coach. You can bounce back ideas and ask what he saw, how he reads certain things early in his career,” Pickett said. “There are so many little things you can learn. Just having it normally and having it open dialogue that we have in the quarterback room.”
The Browns’ second OTA practice was a packed, packed session designed to maximize each quarterback rep. At one point, the rookie quarterback did a team drill on one side of the field, and the veteran passerby stayed on another field.
Flacco, who was named the most valuable player in the Super Bowl XLVII after leading the Baltimore Ravens to their second championship, said he has not been involved in quarterback competitions since his sophomore year of high school. However, he enjoys the dynamics of the quarterback room and the youths of Sanders and Gabriel.
“Chedur was great, meaning he’s been so much fun being around those meeting rooms,” Flaco said. “So far, that’s what hurts me a smile at least once in the meeting room, and that’s all. He’s a young guy who’s learning football, coming out here and practicing a lot, trying to do those things.
