The 2023 Comeback Player of the Year almost didn’t have a spot to come back to in 2024.
Quarterback Joe Flacco, who reiterated in a post-game call to PFT that he plans to play as long as he can, came off the bench and got a win in relief of starter Anthony Richardson.
Flacco explained that he was interested in the Colts because of his shared time in Philly with Indy coach Shane Steichen. More importantly, and as Flacco said, the phone wasn’t exactly ringing off the hook.
It definitely didn’t ring from Cleveland. He said they made him no offer to return for 2024.
The reason is obvious: Flacco did too well last year. This year, Browns fans would be clamoring loudly for Flacco, four games into another unimpressive showing from Deshaun Watson.
It all flows back to Watson’s contract. The Browns had no choice but to continue to prop him up, even if there’s no clear evidence that he’s the guy he was in 2020, when we last saw him play at a high level on a consistent basis.