One of the most fascinating stories of the 2023 NFL season was the surprising comeback run by Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco. On the street until mid-November, Flacco eventually became the Browns' starter down the stretch of the season, and he outperformed the three passers who held then job before him by a fairly significant margin.
Flacco completed 60.3% of his passes at an average of 7.9 yards per attempt, with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions in five games, during which the Browns went 4-1. His efforts helped him win the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
Now a free agent again, Flacco is looking for his next deal. According to Pro Football Talk, Flacco's first choice is to re-sign in Cleveland due to his love for "the team, the city, the fans, everything," and the two sides met at the NFL Scouting Combine last week.
The Browns are of course paying Deshaun Watson a boatload of fully guaranteed money, so it seems highly likely that if Flacco were to re-sign in Cleveland, he would be ticketed as the backup. Cleveland currently has just $6.8 million in salary cap space, according to Over the Cap, and will presumably have to move a bunch of money around in order to fill out the roster.
A restructure or extension for Amari Cooper seems likely, and an extension for Jedrick Wills does as well. Flacco likely won't eat too much cap room on his own, but given the perception of his performance last year, he seems likely to land a deal early in free agency, rather than having to wait until midway through the season like he did last year. So, the Browns will have to do some maneuvering to make it happen.
