Browns' Flacco ready to win QB1 job: 'Excited to get in that room'

Browns quarterback Joe Flacco said he's ready to win the starting signal-caller job after returning to Cleveland on a one-year deal.

"I don't think there's any expectation of exactly who's going to be the starting quarterback," Flacco said on ESPN Cleveland radio.

"I'm excited to get in that room and go show that I have a lot of football ahead of me and kind of become part of the team and do my best to prove all those things - just like you always would when you kind of come into a new situation and want to be the guy."

Flacco signed a contract Friday that can earn him up to $13 million with incentives. He spent the 2023 campaign with the Browns and earned Comeback Player of the Year after going 4-1 in five starts. He helped lead Cleveland to the playoffs, throwing for 1,616 yards with 13 touchdowns.

The 40-year-old Flacco joins a quarterback room that only houses Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson. Pickett was acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in March, and it's uncertain if Watson can play in 2025 due to an Achilles injury.

Pickett, 26, has struggled since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2022, compiling a 15-10 record as a starter while throwing for 15 scores and 14 interceptions.

Cleveland owns the No. 2 pick in next week's draft and could select a quarterback to compete with Flacco and Pickett. However, Cam Ward, the projected top signal-caller in the draft, is the heavy favorite to go first overall. It's unclear if the Browns are willing to take a swing on a quarterback with their top selection.

"I do think competition in that quarterback room, in general, kind of breeds the environment to learn and to become the best version of yourself," Flacco said.

The Browns finished 3-14 last season, and the offense ranked 32nd in EPA/play and success rate, according to Ben Baldwin's database.