Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) and quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) look downfield during NFL training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How Many Games Will Joe Flacco Start for Browns in 2025?

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 12:07 PM ET

The Cleveland Browns didn't exactly make waves when they announced that Joe Flacco would be their Week 1 starter for the 2025 NFL season. Compared to the drama that was drummed up following the team's decision to add four different quarterbacks to compete for Deshaun Watson's vacated QB1 spot, the final choice was anticlimactic, to say the least.

It does make sense why Flacco was picked over Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The 18-year veteran has by far the most experience of anyone in the room and has already garnered a good deal of success playing under Head Coach Kevin Stefanski.

In 2023, he started five games for the Browns and led them to a 4-1 finish, throwing for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns on 60 percent completion. He gives Cleveland the best chance to start its season off on the right foot. He might not be the most inspired or rousing choice, but he likely gives the team the highest odds to come away with a win in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Joe Flacco likely won't finish the season as the Cleveland Browns' QB1

It's clear when they signed Joe Flacco in free agency that the Cleveland Browns didn't view him as a long-term solution at quarterback. That became especially apparent when they traded for Kenny Pickett and took both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft, giving them three young QB prospects.

While Gabriel and Sanders were impressive in their respective preseason starts and throughout training camp, they haven't done enough to convince Head Coach Kevin Stefanski to roll either out in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. That doesn't mean that Flacco will be the QB1 for the entire season, though.

Having him begin the year as their starter under center before letting one of the young guys take over later in the campaign always seemed the most logical approach for the Browns. The question now is, how long will it be before he's benched?

ESPN Cleveland's Tony Rizzo and Aaron Goldhammer set an unofficial over/under line at 6.5 games for Joe Flacco to start. If he's overtaken after Week 6, whoever the new starter is will suit up against the Miami Dolphins. If Flacco starts seven games, the new QB1 will take over against the New England Patriots.

.@TheRealTRizzo and @HammerNation19 set the O/U for Joe Flacco starts at 6.5 games

Are you taking the over or under? pic.twitter.com/AOdcG0bFMQ
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 19, 2025

Earlier in training camp, I predicted that Shedeur Sanders would be named the starter after Week 6's matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That would allow Flacco to take on the brunt of the Browns' toughest games against the Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Steelers, while giving the new starter a cushy start versus the Dolphins and Patriots, with a bye week after to study film.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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