The Cleveland Browns have named Joe Flacco their starting quarterback.
Flacco, 40, won the job almost by default, being the only one of the four quarterbacks vying for the spot not to be at least limited by injury in training camp. However, the Browns signed Flacco in April because of his NFL experience and success with them in 2023. Now he’ll be asked to guide a team in transition through a daunting early-season schedule.
Joe Cool leading the way 🫡
We’ve named Joe Flacco our starting quarterback.
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 18, 2025
Flacco became more comfortable over the last two weeks as he began to take almost all of the reps with the No. 1 offense. Though he didn’t play in either of the first two preseason games, he led the Browns in joint practice sessions with the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles.
“I’m not trying to look into (the reps count) too much,” Flacco said this month. “I can say that when you get a little bit more (action), you can start to feel like yourself. You get in the groove and you calm down a little bit. It’s just human nature. Like, when you’re getting two reps, three reps (at a time), you can be like, ‘Oh, this has to be perfect.’ And when you feel that way, you’re not going to be as good.
“So, to be able to relax a little bit, let it loose and get a little bit more, it just feels right, you know what I mean? So I’m not going to look (too far) into what it means, but it definitely feels good to be out there.”
Kenny Pickett hasn’t been a full practice participant since July 26 because of a hamstring injury. The Browns probably always preferred going with Flacco or Pickett early this season over their two rookie quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. With Pickett and Sanders (oblique strain) trying to return from injury, the rest of the depth chart remains unsettled.
But Flacco will be pegged as the starter, and he’ll play in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams. Then, the Browns will turn their full focus toward the regular season and their Sept. 7 opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
Joe Flacco
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In 2023, Flacco went from being at home waiting for a call to the Browns’ practice squad in November. He then led Cleveland to four straight victories to clinch a playoff berth. During that stretch, he became the first quarterback in franchise history to post four consecutive 300-yard passing games.
The Browns did not offer Flacco a contract for 2024 because of their commitment to Deshaun Watson. But with Watson now recovering from a second torn Achilles tendon and the team acknowledging that its massive investment in him was a failure, the 2025 Browns are turning the page — but at least temporarily going back to Flacco.
Only six quarterbacks over 40 have started double-digit games in a season: Warren Moon, Vinny Testaverde, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.
“Joe is the same guy he was then (in 2023),” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said last week. “He’s the same guy every single day. I think that’s one of the things you admire about Joe is how he approaches his business. He’s done a really nice job in camp. He’s also done a really nice job just providing leadership to the quarterback room, to the offense and to the football team.”
(Photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)