Joe Flacco is headed back to Cleveland.
The Browns and Flacco agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported Friday, per sources informed of the deal.
ESPN first reported the news, which was subsequently announced by the team.
It's a return to Cleveland for the 40-year-old Flacco, who spent 2024 in Indianapolis after helping the Browns to the postseason in 2023. The veteran joins a QB room with former Steelers first-rounder Kenny Pickett and an injured Deshaun Watson.
A reunion makes sense for both parties. Flacco knows Kevin Stefanski's system well and went 4-1 with the Browns in 2023. The Cleveland offense has looked its best over the past three seasons when Flacco was at the helm. During his run two years ago, the veteran quarterback displayed the ability to splash big plays while keeping the engine of the offense running. The field-stretching consistency was missing with Watson and others at the helm.
There is a good argument to be made that Flacco, who was voted the 2023 AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year, should have never left Cleveland in 2024. His return in 2025 underscores that case.
With Watson dealing with an Achilles injury that's projected to knock him out for most, if not all, of the upcoming season, Flacco represents a cost-effective veteran who can keep the Browns afloat while they weather the aftereffects of the former's disastrous contract. The incentives in his deal underscore that Flacco sees big money only if he's on the field.
Flacco might take Cleveland out of the running for other veteran options -- such as a trade for Falcons' Kirk Cousins -- but his presence shouldn't preclude the club from selecting a rookie at any point during the 2025 NFL Draft if the front office sees a talent who can be a long-term solution.
