Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco is all about business heading into his second stint with the organization.
Flacco intends to show the rest of the young quarterbacks in Cleveland how to compete, but he doesn't want to be labeled simply as a mentor heading into his 18th season in the NFL.
"It's not really about that. It's just not the main focus," Flacco said this week, via ESPN. "I see myself as a guy that can play in this league. So, if your main focus was just like, hey, but I'm going to get you ready, you're just not taking care of business.
"The best way to be a mentor, honestly, is to show people how you go to work and, like I said, hope that they pick up on that stuff, but not necessarily force them to pick up on the things that you do."
As Deshaun Watson deals with an Achilles injury that could sideline him for the entirety of the 2025 season, Flacco is progressing through the offseason program with the right mindset to take the starting job in a potential four-way battle. Cleveland's QB room is also comprised of Kenny Pickett, on his third team in four NFL seasons, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Pickett, who was acquired via trade from the Philadelphia Eagles, is likewise eager to compete, saying he didn't come to Cleveland just to "hang out."
The Browns signed Flacco to a one-year, $4 million contract in April, bringing him back to the place he won the 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year Award. He spent the 2024 season with the Indianapolis Colts, going 2-4 as a starter.
Flacco was a perfect fit for head coach Kevin Stefanski's system during his first stint with the team. He led the Browns to a playoff run despite an injury-plagued campaign for the team that saw it use five different starters at QB. Now, Flacco returns to Cleveland with an opportunity to be a starting quarterback at the age of 40.
During the Browns' organized team activities, Stefanksi told reporters that Flacco looks the same as he did two seasons ago.
"Joe physically has been gifted with the ability to throw the football. He looks the same to me," Stefanski said. "It's just fun having some veterans in that room, some young guys in the quarterback room. They really feed off of each other. And certainly, Joe has a lot to explain to the guys or a lot of wisdom to impart on those guys of things that have come up in his career."
Flacco's experience speaks for itself. He's a former Super Bowl MVP with 191 career starts, and he's made it clear that he wants to win the starting job for the Browns to make a few more. He'll get an opportunity to showcase how much left he has in the tank during training camp and in the preseason.
