Browns' Joe Flacco on being 'mentor': 'It isn't essentially my job'

Joe Flacco is one in all 4 quarterbacks competing to be the Cleveland Browns’ 2025 beginning quarterback, the opposite three being Kenny Pickett, a 2022 first-round draft choose of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and rookies Dillon Gabriel (choose No. 94) and Shedeur Sanders (choose No. 144).

Of that bunch, the 40-year-old Flacco has, by far, probably the most beginning expertise (191 NFL begins) and performed for the Browns underneath head coach Kevin Stefanski in 2023.

Does Flacco assume he must be a mentor for the group’s in any other case younger quarterback room? He supplied an in depth reply.

“It is a good query to bait any person into answering, and regardless of how they reply it, it form of makes the man that is answering it look unhealthy,” Flacco stated on Wednesday, in accordance with 92.3 The Fan. “If I say, ‘I do not need to be a mentor,’ I look unhealthy. If I say, ‘I do need to be a mentor,’ then I appear to be an fool that does not care about being good and taking part in soccer. So, it is a type of questions that it doesn’t matter what I say, you guys can write what you need to write about it.”

“And there is lots of questions like that. That is why you find yourself having to attempt to keep away from them. I are likely to attempt to be trustworthy, and I’ve stated, ‘I am not a mentor. I play soccer.’ And in a quarterback room, there’s lots of occasions, already, there’s been a ton of occasions, the place there’s studying experiences. And I’ve lots of expertise, and I can discuss on issues, and hopefully they pay attention. But it surely’s not essentially my job to ensure they hearken to me. Hopefully, you could have a extremely good relationship with the fellows which might be within the room, and also you naturally need to do this.”

Flacco additionally stated that “one of the best ways to be a mentor, truthfully, is to indicate folks the way you go to work.”

[Related: Browns’ Kenny Pickett on Eagles’ stint: ‘Was shown how it’s supposed to be done’]

The veteran signal-caller spent the 2024 NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts. Beginning in six video games and showing in eight video games altogether, Flacco totaled 1,761 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 90.5 passer score, whereas finishing 65.3% of his passes.

In what grew to become Flacco’s ultimate season with the Baltimore Ravens (2018), the franchise chosen quarterback Lamar Jackson with the No. 32 choose within the 2018 NFL Draft, and Jackson later grew to become the group’s starter down the stretch of the common season with Flacco struggling a hip damage; Flacco was activated later within the season, however Jackson remained the group’s starter. Baltimore traded Flacco to the Denver Broncos within the ensuing offseason.

Flacco was additionally with the New York Jets from 2020-22, with him being in the identical quarterback room as Zach Wilson, whom the group chosen with the No. 2 choose within the 2021 NFL Draft.

In his first stint with the Browns (2023), Flacco began 5 regular-season video games, totaling 1,616 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 90.2 passer score, whereas finishing 60.3% of his passes. Cleveland went 4-1 in these 5 video games, with Flacco serving to it earn an AFC wild-card berth.

Flacco and the Browns open the 2025 common season at residence in opposition to the AFC North and in-state rival Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7 (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports activities app).

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