With Joe Flacco’s re-signing, the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback intentions are clear: keep a veteran on the roster, a good QB3 in Kenny Pickett, and hope to discover a quarterback they like still available at the 33rd overall pick in the draft on April 24.
At No. 2 overall, the Browns may now go all in on a guy like Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter rather than feeling compelled to select one. With such a weak quarterback class, it never made sense for them to take another big swing, possibly missing on a pick out of desperation.
Flacco now provides a much-needed veteran presence in the locker room for whomever quarterback the team chooses – most likely Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart, or someone similar – and the team can fully focus on analyzing their offense for 2025.
Flacco’s signing also indicates a significant shift in Cleveland’s quarterback plans this offseason: it appears that the Atlanta Falcons’ asking price for 37-year-old Kirk Cousins was far too high, and they were much more willing to sign Flacco for a cheaper one-year deal than take on another albatross of a contract in exchange for a valuable draft pick or player.
After the Flacco transaction, it appears that a Cousins trade is out of the question.
Cousins has a $40 million cap hit heading into 2025, and trading him after June 1 would cost the Falcons $12.5 million in dead money. If they cut him after June 1, which was likely the only way the Browns could sign Cousins this offseason, they would incur $50 million in dead money while losing $10 million in cap space.
Atlanta was unlikely to let Cousins go for Cleveland without a trade, and the Browns certainly did not want to make another huge trade for a quarterback with a history of significant injuries. Signing Flacco gives them the flexibility to choose a quarterback in the draft without hurting anyone’s egos, as well as make other free agent moves (Nick Chubb, please come home).
Following the deal, Bleacher Report and Underdog Fantasy NFL expert James Palmer stated on social media that Cousins’ only chance of starting this season appeared to be with the Browns, which now appears to be out of the question. Atlanta could have accidentally hard-balled their way into a disgruntled,
They have a costly backup on their squad for the upcoming season.
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