When the entire Browns QB room fell apart due to injuries in 2023, HC Kevin Stefanski turned to the then-38-year-old Joe Flacco. While the presence of a QB made winters bearable for Cleveland, they didn’t have much hope from the NFL veteran. Until he proved them wrong. In his very first matchup against the Rams, Flacco ran the Browns down the LA field to fake a run to the left. Simultaneously, RB Jerome Ford made a sideline run. The QB quickly passed the ball to the completely undefended RB to bring six points. Flacco lost the first start for them, but that very game gave Cleveland a new hope.

With more wins, Flacco gave the team a magical run to their first playoff berth in three years. Although he made a quick trip to Indianapolis last season, Stefanski pushed him to return to the Browns on a single season contract. However, was the 17-year NFL experience and the proof of his work enough for the 40-year-old to compete for the top spot against a brimming QB room?

Entering Berea, everyone knew what Flacco’s one condition would be– be the starter for the team. However, little did he know the competition he would be facing in younger talents– Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. CBS Sports recently reported, “If he’s no longer interested in being a backup, playing through your age-40 season would be a natural cutoff point.” But it seems like he is ready to answer the looming question on his own.

After Saturday’s training session, Flacco sat down with the NFL Network when the question about his retirement popped up. The Browns QB, calm as ever, responded, “The bottom line is, I’ve always been a football player, it’s just what you do. I feel like I can play this game at a high level, still. So, why would I think otherwise? I still am excited about what’s ahead and what I can do on this football field. And I wanna be a part of whatever that is.

“There’s definitely times where [retirement] peeps in your head. I think it would’ve been easy to stop playing a couple years ago. There’s probably several times along the way. But I didn’t. And I think I’ve gotten so much out of that. And I think I’m still at that point. I think there’s so much more I can give, and I can experience. And I don’t think there’s ever going to be a day I don’t think I’m capable, but I really do feel I’m capable of playing at a high level. And I owe it to myself, my family, the team that I think I should play for to go out there and do it.”

But Stefanski sees more than just self-belief in Flacco; he sees reliability. In 2023, Joe Flacco had a passer rating of 90.2 with 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in 5 games. He also won his first Comeback Player of the Year award that season. His 2023 heroics in Cleveland and his stint in Indianapolis earned him another shot, and rightfully so. 

Despite being the second oldest QB to sign with a team after Aaron Rodgers, in Saturday’s workout, he went 4-of-8 with no touchdowns and no interceptions. A modest outing compared to the younger arms around him.

He remains one of the smartest, calmest, and most respected quarterbacks in any NFL locker room. But while Flacco reflected on the end of one chapter, a rookie quarterback has quietly begun to write a new one. And in doing so, he is validating the Browns’ most scrutinized draft-day decision.

Dillon Gabriel outshines, easing pressure on Kevin Stefanski

The Browns shocked many in the draft community by selecting Dillon Gabriel over Shedeur Sanders. Everyone was quick to criticize the move. But Stefanski had a vision in play. “We trusted our board. We trusted the fit,” he said post-draft in May 2025. “Dillon has the kind of mental makeup and accuracy we believe translates well to the NFL game. He’s already proving us right.” 

As per ESPN Cleveland, Gabriel, at the July 26 training session, went 8-for-15 with a touchdown and no interceptions, displaying poise and decisiveness. His total completions led the QB room that day, and while Shedeur Sanders made waves with an 8-for-11, 3-touchdown stat line, Gabriel’s early adaptation to the Browns’ playbook and his performance under pressure are what matter most.

The Oregon alum also leads all Browns quarterbacks in completion percentage through the first two weeks of camp. It seems the heavily criticized move is now turning all heads, and the timing could not have been better.

Gabriel may not be the ‘future’ just yet. But in a quarterback room that includes a 39-year-old Flacco contemplating legacy, and journeymen behind them, Gabriel is proving something far more powerful: he belongs.