Joe Flacco Gets Honest About Returning to Cleveland Browns

The 40-year-old quarterback spoke with the media for the first time on Wednesday.

Jan 13, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) throws the ball during the second quarter in a 2024 AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Quarterback Joe Flacco led the Browns on a memorable run in 2023, compiling a 4-1 record off the practice squad en route to the playoffs. But as miraculous as the late-season win streak was, Flacco himself did not expect he'd ever return to the Browns after signing with the Colts in free agency.

Thanks to a one-year, $4 million deal he inked on April 11, Flacco is a Cleveland Brown once again after his short stint in Indianapolis. On Wednesday, Flacco met with the media for the first time, where he spoke about returning to Cleveland.

"If you would've asked me two weeks before it happened, I would've said 'no way,'" Flacco said. "Didn't seem like a possibility."

However, with Deshaun Watson injured and recently acquired Kenny Pickett being the only healthy passer on the roster, a reunion between the 40-year-old quarterback and the team he brought to the playoffs became an option.

The fan favorite QB will have the opportunity to compete with Pickett and potentially a rookie quarterback for the starting job, which he called "exciting."

"That's all you can ask for in this league," Flacco said. "I don’t really have any expectations besides to go out there and be myself and kind of put my head down, work hard and just do things where I know how to."

Flacco started six games for Indianapolis last season, appearing in eight. He averaged 220.1 yards per game with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 65.3% of his passes. The Colts went 2-4 as Flacco was sacked 18 times.