The general consensus has been that Joe Flacco will ultimately be the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback come Week 1 of the 2025 NFL campaign, but apparently, it's no sure thing.
As a matter of fact, there is a chance it isn't even probable.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com has provided an update on the Browns' quarterback situation, revealing that Flacco is not the frontrunner to open next September under center.
“It’s a tough call before we’ve even seen the first practice of organized team activities, but I know Kenny Pickett heads in as the frontrunner to win the starting job at the outset," Cabot wrote. "He’ll take the initial first-team reps in OTAs and probably the mandatory minicamp, and it seems like it’s his job to try to keep for now."
This definitely comes as a bit of a surprise considering that Flacco is a seasoned veteran who led Cleveland to the playoffs a couple of years ago, so the prevailing thought was that the 40-year-old would represent a stopgap until one of Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel were ready.
Evidently, though, Flacco may be competing for a backup role.
The Browns signed Flacco in free agency after swinging a trade for Pickett. Cleveland then selected both Gabriel and Sanders in the third and fifth rounds of the NFL Draft, respectively, resulting in a rather crowded quarterback room.
You have to think that a trade will occur at some point, as it doesn't seem likely that the Browns will carry four signal-callers into the regular season. But perhaps it's actually Flacco who has been headed toward being the odd man out all along.
