CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns fans are ecstatic that Joe Flacco is back, but will he have a chance to recreate his 2023 magic on the lakefront?

What does it mean for the Browns and their quarterback room this season? For Shedeur Sanders, a target at No. 2 in the draft, and Kenny Pickett, whom they acquired in a trade with the Eagles last month?

Flacco, who led the Browns to a 4-1 record and wild card berth in 2023, agreed to terms Friday on a one-year deal worth $4 million, with $3 million guaranteed at signing. It’s loaded with incentives that can earn him up to $13 million, but the $4 million “bridge” salary for this season indicates that the Browns are bringing him in to compete for the starting job instead of handing it to him outright.

The contract will pay him $6 million if he starts but fails to make the playoffs, and $8 million if he leads them back to the postseason. To max out at $13 million, he’d need to earn his first All-Pro nod in 18 seasons, and hit other lofty milestones — at the age of 40.

From the start of the offseason program April 22, Flacco will compete with Pickett for the starting job, and then he’ll have to stave off the rookie beginning in May, whether it’s Sanders or someone else. The Browns have spent considerable time on other quarterbacks in the class such as Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough. If they add a fourth quarterback, it will likely either be a second draft pick, an undrafted free agent or a young, developmental player.

The Browns always planned to restock the QB room with an experienced veteran, a younger veteran and a draft pick. They brought in Russell Wilson for a free agent visit, but he was more interested in a starting opportunity than a bridge role, and signed a one-year deal worth $10.5 million with the Giants, who have the No. 3 pick in the draft. The Giants also signed Jameis Winston and might draft a quarterback, but $10.5 million was more than the Browns wanted to pay for a player who might not start.

As for the Browns’ draft strategy, Flacco’s signing doesn’t impact it much. They still have Sanders in their sights at No. 2 — assuming Cam Ward goes No. 1 to the Titans — as well as receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.

If they draft Sanders, he’s more pro ready than the other quarterbacks available to them, and he’d give Flacco and Pickett a good battle for the starting job. But it won’t be easy to beat out a former Super Bowl MVP who’s gone 105-86 in the regular season, and the 2022 No. 20 pick of the Steelers who’s gone 15-10, including 14-10 in his first two seasons in Pittsburgh.

The way it stands right now, the Browns will likely have an open competition in camp, something that hasn’t happened in this regime.

Coming off a 3-14 season, the Browns might also find themselves with a surplus of quarterbacks heading into the roster cutdown in August, and might try to trade one like they did last season. They were open to trading Jameis Winston once Dorian Thompson-Robinson tied him for the backup job, and again at the trade deadline. The Browns also have Deshaun Watson in the building rehabbing from his retorn Achilles, but they have no timetable for his return, other than to say he’ll miss “significant time.”

If anything, Flacco’s signing gives the Browns a chance to develop their rookie quarterback and not rush him into the starting lineup. If they draft more of a developmental project such as a Dart, Milroe or Shough, they’ll need time to acclimate him to the pro game, and can start a veteran until he’s ready.

In the case of Sanders, a drop-back passer, his skill set aligns with that of Flacco, and he’d stand to learn a lot from him. He doesn’t have Flacco’s cannon arm or size (6-foot-1 vs. 6-6) but his accuracy is better, and both play more of the traditional, play-action, bootleg game for which Stefanski is known.

If the Browns opt for a Milroe, they’d have to fully commit to his dual-threat skill set in the same way the Ravens did with Lamar Jackson, and it would take him some time to develop as a passer. But he’s got plenty of arm strength and talent, and the work ethic and football acumen to succeed at this level with the right infrastructure around him.

The Browns also have his former Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees in that capacity here, so the transition would be seamless. At the Senior Bowl in January, Browns GM Andrew Berry said the Browns would be willing to go all in on Milroe’s unique skill set, including a 4.37 in the 40, if they draft him.

As for Pickett, Flacco’s acquisition doesn’t change his marching orders. He still has a chance to win the starting job, and the Browns are still excited about him, as they stated at the NFL Annual Meeting two weeks ago.

The Browns are confident that Pickett will flourish in Stefanski’s offense, with his mobility, and excellent processing speed. Acquired in exchange for Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round pick, Pickett had to endure the firing of his Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada during the 2023 season, and a mercurial receiver in George Pickens. The Browns are hopeful that he’ll elevate his game in this environment in the same way other quarterbacks have lately in new digs such as Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield.

One good thing about Pickett is that he doesn’t turn the ball over much, which will be paramount this season. Flacco, on the other hand, has been prone to turnovers at this stage of career, including six interceptions and four lost fumbles in his last four starts with the Colts last season, where he went 2-4 in relief of an injured Anthony Richardson. He also threw a pair of pick-sixes in the Browns’ 45-14 loss to the Texans in the wild card game in 2023. The Browns finished minus-22 in turnover differential last season, and first in the NFL with 23 interceptions. If they cut the picks in half, they’ll win three or four more games alone.

As for the Browns’ interest in Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, they were already unlikely to acquire him because of multiple hurdles, and Flacco’s signing makes it even more unlikely. It can’t be completely ruled out, but the Browns would likely have to give up a draft pick and pay a significant portion of his $37.5 million salary. Cousins won’t waive his trade clause until after the draft so he knows the QB landscape.

In the meantime, Flacco will return to Cleveland to a chorus of cheers, and try to pick up where he left off in 2023.

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