The Cleveland Browns finally answered one of their biggest questions heading into the 2025 season when they named Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback on Monday morning. The 40-year-old beat out Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders to win the job during training camp, but as the preseason concludes with a game against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday afternoon, the biggest question is who will be joining him on the active roster.
While general manager Andrew Berry said earlier this summer that they could keep four quarterbacks heading into the season, that seems unlikely given the need for depth at other positions. It puts one of the signal-callers who lost to Flacco on the trading block, and one in particular is getting ready to book his flight out of Cleveland.
Browns name Joe Flacco as starting quarterback. pic.twitter.com/uohdSwfif5
— NFL (@NFL) August 18, 2025
Kenny Pickett Is the Biggest Loser in Browns’ QB Competition
Most of the quarterback competition in camp has been debating the merits between Gabriel and Sanders, who were taken two rounds apart during April’s draft. But before those two landed in Cleveland, the conversation was whether Pickett could revive his career with the Browns.
The Browns acquired Pickett after sending Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in March. A former first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2022 draft, Pickett has 30 appearances and 25 starts under his belt. But despite a 15-10 record as a starter, his performance didn’t warrant franchise quarterback status, completing 62.4% of his passes for 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
The lackluster stats were something that sent him to Philadelphia before the 2024 season, and the emergence of Tanner McKee convinced the Eagles to send him to Cleveland. At 27 years old, there was a world where Pickett could become the next Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold as a late bloomer, but he never got off the ground due to a hamstring injury at the beginning of training camp.
Sanders (oblique) and Gabriel (hamstring) also suffered injuries to cede the job to Flacco, but both players have significantly cheaper cap hits than Pickett’s $2.6 million heading into next season. With Pickett possibly wanting a better chance to showcase his opportunities, it wouldn’t be surprising if he requested a trade among the final camp cuts. Then again, the Browns could also provide their own solution by cutting Pickett.
Either way, Pickett’s time in Cleveland figures to be a short stay as the Browns have their starting quarterback.