When the Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers, they already had a legendary QB, Brett Favre, aka The Gunslinger. But he was not happy with the franchise bringing in a young rookie, and he did not help A-Rod. Now, he could have been angry over this. But the veteran chose another path. Even now, in the final stage of his career, he is ready to mentor young players. A similar situation is brewing in the Browns. Their QB, Joe Flacco, wants to play for his team, but they want him to carry an additional responsibility. Mentor young players! But wait, there’s a twist.

The Steelers drafted Ohio State QB Will Howard in the 6th round (185th overall). The Browns went for Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel in the 3rd round (94th round) while also going for the famous Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders in the 5th round (144th overall). However, Rodgers claimed that he will also mentor Howard while playing as the starter. It forced Flacco to advise him on how to answer such questions.

A few weeks ago, when the Browns veteran was asked the same question, he replied, “No matter how they answer, it kinda makes the guy who answers it look bad. If I say I don’t want to be a mentor, it makes me look bad. If I say I do want to be a mentor, I look like an idiot who doesn’t want to be good at playing football.” These are not words; it seems like a subtle advice to Aaron Rodgers.

Both of them want to play in the league for as many years, but their careers are in the ending stage. So he rightly said that the question was a bait for the older players. The 40-year-old has had enough of the same question being asked again in different interviews. He is here to play, but the media wants to build up the narrative of him being a mentor.

Joe Flacco keeps it real for Shedeur Sanders

On the 2nd day of the Browns’ OTAs in May, he came with the intent of sealing the starter position. Joe Flacco went 9-of-14 for a TD. Fine. Not glowing. Meanwhile, rookie Dillon Gabriel went 11-of-16 with two scores. Shedeur Sanders lit it up with 7-of-9, three touchdowns, no picks.

Instead of questions based on his performance, the media kept frustrating Joe Flacco with questions about mentoring. While talking about the rookies, he kept it a hundred and replied, “I play football. And in a quarterback room, there have already been a ton of learning experiences. I can talk about things, and hopefully they listen. But it’s not my job to make sure they do.” That’s as honest as any player could get.

He neither gave the rookies any false hope nor denied them the chance to learn. But he also drew the line where it needed to be — they have to grasp the nuances of competition on their own. That’s the hard truth. It’s the reality of the game. This isn’t college anymore.

Whether he likes it or not, he’s probably both a mentor and a competitor. But when it comes to accepting his role, he’s made it clear: he’s still a player, and he’s ready to go.