Joe Flacco Named Cleveland Browns Starter

The Cleveland Browns have offically named a starting quarterback to begin the 2025 season. 2023 comeback player of the year for the Cleveland Browns, Joe Flacco, will start week one, September 8th, against the division rival Cincinnati Bengals. Flacco has been the clear choice to start for the Browns ever since fellow quarterback Kenny Pickett went down with a hamstring injury early in training camp. Flacco enters the Browns’ season, having previously played for the Indianapolis Colts, where he served as the backup to projected quarterback Anthony Richardson. Despite this, Flacco started six games and played in eight for the Colts. Flacco had a 2-4 record in his starts, and threw for 1,761 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 7 picks.

Flacco and the city of Cleveland have a unique connection. Flacco was first the star Quarterback for the division rival Baltimore Ravens, winning a Super Bowl with the franchise. Everything changed in 2023 when the Browns went through a slew of quarterbacks despite still having a promising record. The Browns signed Joe Flacco towards the end of the 2023 season, quite literally off the couch, and proceeded to take the team to the playoffs. This run and Cleveland’s subsequent infatuation with Flacco was coined the name “Flacco Mania.” Despite this, the Browns let Flacco walk in the 2024 offseason and chose to ride with quarterback Deshaun Watson.

With the Watson era of Browns history all but over, the Cleveland football team looks to move forward first under the guidance of veteran Joe Flacco. For how long does that last? That remains to be seen. The Browns selected not one, but two rookie quarterbacks in the 2025 draft: Dillon Gabriel in the 3rd round and Shedeur Sanders in the 5th round. Both rookies showed upside in their starts during the NFL preseason. One would assume both rookies will see regular-season time as well, with the potential to draft yet another quarterback in the 2026 draft. The Browns possess two first-round picks, and time is limited for the Browns to decide if they need to add a high choice rookie next year, or if they found a needle in a haystack in either rookies this year.

Ultimately, the Browns made the correct decision in starting Flacco for the beginning of the season. The Browns start the season in a gauntlet, playing the Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Lions, Vikings, and finally the Steelers in that order. Veteran leadership makes the most sense not only in success record-wise, but success in the development of the rookies, so as not to shatter their confidence right away. Reminder, Flacco has not started a full season since 2017, so to expect him to do so now, at the age of 40, is a long shot. Either way, I ultimately think this is the best decision for the team moving forward, at least for the time being, as the Browns focus on young player development. “Flacco mania” is offically back in the land, for how long? No one knows. The biggest positive is the fact that the Watson era is over, and the team is committed to moving forward.