Joe Flacco has made it clear that his role with the Cleveland Browns is to compete, not to mentor, in a big blow to the likes of Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
The 39-year-old quarterback boasts a Super Bowl MVP title and a successful career through a wide range of different organizations and now he guns for the starting quarterback position at the Huntington Bank Field.
In light of that, he’s made it perfectly clear that he will not be handing free lessons down to the next class of QBs waiting in the wings, despite his extensive experience having made his switch to the professional scene in the 2008 NFL Draft.
So to advantage himself, and put the talk of him becoming a de facto coach to bed, the man from New Jersey has a very clear message for the underlings at Kevin Stefanski‘s disposal: You can watch and that’s it.
“Let me just say this about Joe Flacco and that whole mentorship piece,” Cabot said on The Rich Eisen Show. “He’s been asked this question so many times over and over again, and he’s tired of answering it.
“He’s tried to say over and over and over again, look, you can learn from watching me, you can learn from doing whatever I do, but I’m not here to hold your hand and get you to be able to win the job over me.”
Flacco’s policy: Fair or too much?
The frustration appears rooted not in arrogance, but in principle. To Flacco, he’s still an active player with a job to win, not a stand-in coach, as organized team activities unfold in Cleveland.
And it’s a fair comment. At his age, he likely doesn’t have too long left in the sport. In the 2024/25 NFL season, only Aaron Rodgers (ex-New York Jets) was older than Flacco.
Additionally, the rookie quarterbacks Sanders and Gabriel have been showing flashes of promise. So it’s no surprise that any insight directly from the veteran appears slim.
It’s a blunt reality check for the pair. While NFL culture often promotes the image of elder QBs shepherding their successors, Flacco has never seemed interested in that role and that is something he also stressed at the Indianapolis Colts in 2024 too.
With Deshaun Watson still recovering from injury and four quarterbacks vying for spots, the Browns find themselves in a highly competitive quarterback room and everything is to play for.
Flacco‘s message, whether fans like it or not, is clear: he’s not ready to fade quietly into the background or serve as a bridge to the future. He’s still playing to win, and that’s the only example he intends to set.
Eyes now turn to see how the Browns get on in the 2025/26 NFL season when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals on September 7, on their home field. Who will be the starter?
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