Sam Darnold wasn't franchise tagged by the Minnesota Vikings. Kirk Cousins may or may not be released by the Atlanta Falcons. Derek Carr's days with the New Orleans Saints, due to their own cap troubles, seem to be numbered.
There are clearly several solid quarterback options that are set to hit the market soon for the Cleveland Browns. However, because they're in the red to the tune of $23 million, they are likely to have some limitations on who they can actually pursue to fill either their starting or backup QB position.
Assuming they go for one of Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders at No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL draft, they'll still need a few other signal callers to add to their QB room to start the season. With the likely departure of Jameis Winston and Bailey Zappe, and with Dorian Thompson-Robinson clearly not ready to take the reins, a veteran is direly needed.
ESPN's senior NFL insider Adam Schefter had an excellent suggestion about who that quarterback should be.
Adam Schefter suggests Joe Flacco reunion for Browns
On an episode of his podcast "The Adam Schefter Podcast," the insider suggested that of all the veteran signal callers hitting free agency next week, the one that could make a ton of sense for the Browns is the most familiar one available: Joe Flacco.
"How about Joe Flacco? He's already led the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs two years ago. And, there were people in the organization that wanted to keep him. He wanted to play. They let him go because there was some division there. He went to Indianapolis, went fine. But, Joe Flacco back to Cleveland could be the perfect bridge quarterback for when Cleveland drafts a quarterback," said Schefter on the episode.
Read more: Predicting which 4 Browns leave (and which 1 that stays) in 2025 free agency
"Flacco's a great guy to have in the locker room. I think Joe Flacco could be in play in Cleveland," added the insider.
Flacco was one of the more successful quarterbacks under head coach Kevin Stefanski in his five year stretch with the team so far. He did lead the team to the postseason in 2023, and helped them to finish with an 11-7 record despite injury to Deshaun Watson during the season. He won Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts.
Flacco could start or simply be a great backup option to whichever rookie the Browns decide to take in this year's draft. Assuming they go with one early, then Flacco is likely to slot in as a veteran mentor for that QB. If they go for a QB later in the draft, then Flacco could potentially start while that rookie develops further under the Browns' coaching staff. Seems like a solid plan.