Browns Insider Reveals Shocking Details on Joe Flacco's Signing

The Cleveland Browns added a familiar face to their quarterback room ahead of the weekend with their intriguing signing of Joe Flacco, bringing back the veteran signal caller on a one-year deal after spending a season away from town with the Indianapolis Colts.

Considering how things ended last time with the Browns and Flacco, as the former Super Bowl champion logged a 4-1 record as a starter to surge onto the scene as a Comeback Player of the Year, mid-season pickup from his couch, it's a welcome reunion underway for both sides.

However, some new insider information dove into just how appealing the Browns were for Flacco, as he attempts to reclaim a bit of his previous magic during his second stint in Cleveland.

ESPN insider Tony Grossi detailed how the deal came to form for the Browns and Flacco, noting that not only did the veteran turn down two other teams to come to Cleveland, but he sees himself as the future starter of this offense as well.

"The most driving factor in this reunion is Flacco himself," Grossi said. "He turned down two other offers with a couple of teams. I'm still confirming the names, but I know one was the Giants, and he kept holding out that the Browns would change their minds. He wanted to come back. The big incentives of this contract are tied to the team doing well, with wins and the playoffs. He's a lot more selfless than he's been portrayed in other places, and he also has the utmost confidence that he'll be the starter."

Flacco now joins a quarterback room built with himself, new trade addition Kenny Pickett, and an injured Deshaun Watson, so without any further acquisitions or draft pickups, there could be a road for the veteran to truly have a chance to start, and especially so if he shows out similarly to his 2023 campaign.

Last season with the Colts, Flacco had his ups and downs, but still managed to fill in as a starter for six games to put together 1,761 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions on a 65.3% completion rate. Clearly, the Browns saw enough to take another flier on his services, and maybe even line him up as a Week One starter, depending on how the cards fall.

So for Flacco, the rationale for a return was simple, and even with other teams like the Giants throwing their own pitch his way to lure him in as a veteran piece, Cleveland was the answer in the end.

Will it result in seeing the 40-year-old officially suiting up as a starter at some point in 2025? It remains to be seen, but if you were to ask Flacco himself, he's got the confidence to do make it come to fruition.