The Cleveland Browns and veteran quarterback Joe Flacco have reached settlement on a one-year, $4 million contract, his agent, Joe Linta, instructed ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday.
The deal returns Flacco to Cleveland, the place he gained the NFL’s Comeback Participant of the 12 months award in 2023.
The contract might be value as much as $13 million with incentives. The Browns additionally introduced an settlement with Flacco on Friday with out disclosing phrases.
Flacco additionally spoke with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings however opted to spend his 18th NFL season with the Browns. Co-owner Jimmy Haslam had instructed a bunch of native reporters on the NFL’s annual assembly that Flacco remained an possibility for the staff.
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Flacco joins a quarterback room with Deshaun Watson, who’s rehabbing after retearing his proper Achilles tendon and will miss most or the entire 2025 season, and Kenny Pickett, who was traded to Cleveland and mentioned he was instructed he would get an opportunity to be the beginning quarterback.
The Browns have been trying to find quarterback assist this offseason after utilizing 4 passers in 2024. Cleveland opted to not re-sign Jameis Winston, final yr’s backup, and traded for Pickett within the first week of free company, sending the Philadelphia Eagles a fifth-round decide and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Cleveland holds the second total decide within the 2025 draft and has met with a number of high quarterback prospects, together with Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough. Haslam, although, mentioned the staff wouldn’t power a quarterback with its first choice.
Flacco was believed by some to be carried out with the NFL when no groups severely thought-about including him to their rosters for many of the 2023 season.
However within the aftermath of Watson’s season-ending shoulder harm that season, the Browns signed Flacco and he offered a five-game stretch that rivaled any that the franchise has seen from a quarterback since returning to Cleveland in 1999. Flacco threw for over 300 yards in 4 straight wins — the Browns went 4-1 in his 5 regular-season begins — earlier than the run got here to an finish in a loss to the Houston Texans within the wild-card spherical.
That put him in place to be thought-about among the many viable backup choices in 2024, and the Indianapolis Colts added him as a veteran possibility behind Anthony Richardson on a one-year contract value $4.5 million.
Flacco’s 2024 season noticed each highs and lows, with an early 359-yard efficiency in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars among the many highs. Finally, the struggles of Richardson and perception in Flacco prompted the Colts to insert the veteran because the starter in Week 9.
Within the AFC playoff race on the time, coach Shane Steichen mentioned he believed that Flacco gave the Colts the perfect probability to win. However then got here the lows: Flacco, 40, threw a mixed 4 interceptions in losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Payments, resulting in his benching and the reinsertion of Richardson because the starter.
The Colts went 2-4 with Flacco as a starter final season. He completed with 1,761 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Chosen within the first spherical of the 2008 draft by the Baltimore Ravens, Flacco has thrown for 45,697 yards with 257 touchdowns and 162 interceptions in 17 seasons. He was named the MVP of Tremendous Bowl XLVII when he led the Ravens to victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Flacco is certainly one of three quarterback that has a successful file with the Browns since their return, together with Brian Hoyer (10-6) and Case Keenum (2-0).
ESPN’s Stephen Holder contributed to this report.
