‘Bold’ Joe Flacco Admits He’s Not There to Mentor Shedeur Sanders in Crowded Browns’ Quarterback Room

Joe Flacco re-signed with the Browns to compete for the starting quarterback job and not babysit the rookies.

‘Bold’ Joe Flacco Admits He’s Not There to Mentor Shedeur Sanders in Crowded Browns’ Quarterback Room

Shedeur Sanders and Joe Flacco (Image via IMAGO)

Joe Flacco is the oldest head in the Cleveland Browns quarterback room, which contains two rookies, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Rookies often look to the experienced guy on the roster for pointers to improve their game so that they can take over as the starting quarterback at some point.

Will Flacco be willing to bestow his knowledge of winning a Super Bowl to his younger subordinates? Reporters asked the 40-year-old to comment on it.

Flacco kept his answer straightforward. He is on the Browns roster as a competitor, and his job is also on the line, similar to the rest of the 50+ players.

If I say, ‘I don’t want to be a mentor,’ I look bad. If I say, ‘I do want to be a mentor,’ I look like an idiot who doesn’t care about being good and playing football. I tend to try to be honest. And I’ve said, ‘I’m not a mentor; I play football‘.

Joe Flacco said

Considering he was sitting on his couch just two seasons ago before his first stint in Cleveland, Flacco’s words hit close to home. He is getting on in years, and the Browns re-signed him as an insurance policy. If the others fail to make the final roster cut, Flacco’s experience will be handy during the season.

However, that does not mean the Pro Bowler will turn away anyone who would come looking for advice.

I have a lot of experience, [and] I can talk about things… Hopefully, they listen. But it’s not necessarily my job to make sure they listen to me. Hopefully, you have a really good relationship with the guys who are in the room. And you naturally want to do that.

Joe Flacco said

How was Joe Flacco’s first spell with the Browns?

The Browns don’t have great luck in finding a good quarterback. They gave up an arm and a leg to trade for Deshaun Watson from the Texans, but the move backfired on them. Watson not only underperformed on the field but also found himself embroiled in controversy.

'Bold' Joe Flacco Admits He's Not There to Mentor Shedeur Sanders in Crowded Browns' Quarterback Room
Joe Flacco at Browns training (Image via IMAGO)

On top of it, the former first-rounder picked up injuries one after the other. Watson is still part of the team, but a torn Achilles will keep him from playing any games in the 2025 season.

It was injuries that opened the door for Flacco in 2023. First Watson and then Dorian Thompson-Robinson ended up in rehab, forcing the Browns brass to seek an emergency replacement.

They signed Flacco, and he led the team to the playoffs. However, they lost 45-14 to the Texans. It was Flacco’s first loss in the wild card. Before the defeat, he was 5-0 in that round. He ended the season with a 4-1 record, 123 completions for 1616 yards (60.3 pass completion rate), 13 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions.

Remarkably, Flacco won the NFL Comeback Player Award ahead of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who cheated death in January 2023.

Flacco, at present, is the betting favorite to start in week one against divisional rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals. However, he knows better than anyone else that nothing is set in stone. Anything is possible during the training camp.

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