Browns QB Joe Flacco is being questioned by Chris Canty ... who has a perch at ESPN and who is also a former Flacco teammate.
Browns QB Joe Flacco is being questioned by Chris Canty ... who has a perch at ESPN and who is also a former Flacco teammate. originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Cleveland Browns employ more "name'' QBs than any team in the NFL.
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Deshaun Watson. Shedeur Sanders. Dillon Gabriel. Kenny Pickett.
And the guy who figures at age 40 to mentor all of them, Joe Flacco.
One problem: Flacco, the elder statesman of the group, has balked a bit at that concept, emphasizing that his goal is to start, not to teach.
And now Flacco is being questioned by Chris Canty ... who has a perch at ESPN and who is also a former Flacco teammate.
"Mentoring a young player is only going to make that player better, which makes the team better," Canty said. "You're only as strong as your weakest link.''
Canty, who spent three seasons as Flacco's teammate with the Baltimore Ravens from 2013–2015, continued on ...
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"It's stupid to not consider trying to do everything that you can to coach these other guys up," Canty said. "Nobody is saying you have to do your job at a lesser level in terms of performing on the field, but if you can happen to impart some wisdom onto those guys who you're spending 16 hours a day with in training camp, why wouldn't you do that?"
We think that Flacco's remarks are now being spun wildly out of control.
The facts? Flacco has over his lengthy career worked with a huge number of younger guys ... the Ravens' Lamar Jackson in 2018 and with Drew Lock in 2019 and with Jets Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson from 2020–2021 and last year with the Colts' Anthony Richardson. ... and many more.
We find it ridiculous to think he didn't help his QB teammates.
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It's probably Flacco's fault for not saying the by-rote thing about mentorship. At the same time, we bet it's so self-evident to him that he'll be "big-brothering'' guys - no matter where he ends up on the depth chart - that he wants to make sure he's thought of as a first-team candidate.
In that sense, this is a tempest in a teapot. Flacco, entering his 18th NFL season with a Super Bowl trophy to his credit, has never been accused of being a bad teammate or of being "stupid.''
And this is no time to start that.
Related: Examination Reveals Shedeur Sanders' Thrilling Practice Numbers Misleading
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
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