NFL News: Joe Flacco sends clear message to Browns as Shedeur Sanders rumors heat up

Joe Flacco has returned to the Cleveland Browns for the 2025 NFL season. While many believe he will be the starting quarterback, Flacco isn’t so sure—and he’s delivered a bold message to the team amid rising rumors about Shedeur Sanders.

The Browns have struggled to find stability at the quarterback position in recent years. Several players have rotated through the starting role, but none have managed to lead the team to sustained success.

In 2023, the team gave Flacco a chance, and he impressed with a 4-1 record. Although the Browns chose not to keep him at the time, he’s now back and ready to compete for the starting job once again.

Joe Flacco makes his stance clear to the Browns about the starting QB role

Joe Flacco is back in Cleveland, but this time under different circumstances. When the Browns first brought him in during the 2023 season, he was expected to serve as a backup—until injuries forced him into the starting role.

With Deshaun Watson still recovering, Flacco is currently projected to start, with Kenny Pickett as his backup. However, questions remain about what the Browns plan to do in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Reports suggest Cleveland could use its No. 2 overall pick to select a quarterback—most likely Shedeur Sanders. In response to the speculation, Flacco has sent a clear message to the team: he’s ready for whatever challenge lies ahead.

“I don’t think there’s any expectation of exactly who’s gonna be the starting quarterback,” Flacco said for ESPN Cleveland. “So, you know, I’m excited to get in that room and go show that I have a lot of football ahead of me and kind of become part of the team and do my best to prove all those things. Just like you always would when you kind of come into a new situation and wanna be the guy.”