Flacco Responds to Browns' Mentor Headlines
Flacco Responds to Browns' Mentor Headlines originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Cleveland Browns are never too far from a negative headline, but that's life as a maligned organization. The negatives get overblown, the neutral doesn't get the benefit of the doubt, and every storyline has the potential to become a problem.
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Make no mistake, the Browns' biggest problem is its quarterback situation. With quarterback Deshaun Watson haunting the offense from (presumably) injured reserve, Cleveland will turn to one of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, or Shedeur Sanders – the latter two being mid-round picks from the 2025 NFL Draft.
Flacco is expected to compete for the starting job, and he makes the most sense to be under center for Week 1. But when his comments about not being the most willing mentor hit the timeline at organized team activities (OTAs), Cleveland lost contain of a relative non-issue.
Speaking to Albert Breer, Flacco got honest about the Browns' mentor controversy, and how his attitude isn't nearly as hostile as some fans have taken it.
'Listen, everybody wants to have good relationships and be a good teammate, or that's the expectation at least,' Flacco said. 'I think you want a bunch of players that have that mindset—it's about the team and it's about having good relationships, and freaking pushing people.
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'I think that is important to do. And in order to have those relationships and keep the team first, you have to have a bunch of guys that want to play football. That's what it comes down to. Being a mentor and coming out and just kind of going along for the ride isn't getting me off my couch.'
Clearly, Flacco would much prefer to use teach tape from 2025 games to show the rookies how it's done. And while both Gabriel and Sanders will likely make decent arguments to play in the coming months, Flacco has earned the benefit of the doubt.
In 2023, Flacco's hot streak took the Browns from destitution to competition, landing them in the AFC Wild Card Round by being just enough on offense. This year's defense isn't quite as potent, and the expectations certainly won't be as high. But Flacco has been around the block several times now, toeing the line between competent starter and second-string mentor.
"I want to play football," Flacco said. "But also, I want to be a really good teammate, I really do. I enjoy being in that locker room, and just being around the guys. I think that's all a part of it. I've talked about how it's not necessarily my job, but at the same time, I'm also not gonna shy away from doing those things. I'm not worried about teaching guys and having that come back and bite me. Yeah, you got questions and you want answers, 'Yeah, come ask me, man.'"
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Flacco isn't withholding information from his younger counterparts. This isn't the kind of adversarial relationship that defined the Green Bay Packers' transition two decades ago. But there's a difference between accepting one's fate as a backup and competing while teaching at the same time.
Flacco would much prefer the latter. It seems the rest of the room is fine with that, too.
'It's a good, fun group. It's the offseason. Like, today, we had a 15-minute meeting, we're in there telling stories and laughing. You can tell, it's a bunch of guys that want to play football, but are also able to go in there and have fun.'
Related: Joe Flacco Called 'Stupid' By ESPN For Mentorship Take On Browns
Related: Browns' Flacco Criticized for Approach to Young Quarterbacks
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
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