Joe Flacco: The Unicorn the Browns Let Go — and the Media Buried Too Soon

The Indictment of Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski

Flacco’s resurgence isn’t just a feel-good story — it’s a direct indictment of GM Andrew Berry and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski.

They didn’t just lose a quarterback; they lost a leader.

Veteran Browns reporter Tony Grossi called it immediately:

“Certifiably the 2nd worst trade in Browns history.” — @TonyGrossi, Oct 8, 2025

Cleveland shipped Flacco for a fifth-round pick — the same price they once paid to dump Baker Mayfield.

Even Stefanski admitted the move caught everyone off guard:

“The Joe (Flacco) trade took us all by surprise. They called us. So still working through all roster things. I have to be mindful of our players’ development.” — Kevin Stefanski, via @TonyGrossi, Oct 8, 2025

If “mindful of development” means trading your best and most experienced quarterback mid-season, then the process has gone completely off the rails.

Flacco’s Departure: Handled Like a Pro

According to Grossi, Flacco didn’t request a trade. His agent Joe Linta told him:

“Joe loves Cleveland and understands what happened over the last four weeks. He has really cherished his time in Cleveland and looks forward to a new challenge in Cincinnati.” — @TonyGrossi, Oct 7, 2025

Linta added:

“Joe is like any kid in America who plays football. He would much rather be on the field than on the bench.” — @TonyGrossi, Oct 7, 2025

That was Flacco in a nutshell — class, competitiveness, and quiet fire.

Mike Tomlin Knew Flacco Wasn’t Done

Even Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin recognized the mistake immediately.
When asked about the trade, Tomlin said sending Flacco to a division rival “doesn’t make sense” and was “shocking.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Tomlin told reporters. “It was shocking to me. Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me — or us. The move makes sense for Cincinnati because Flacco still has that arm strength and accuracy. But a division trade like this is not logical.”

Tomlin knew what Berry and Stefanski ignored — Joe Flacco still had it.
So did Tony Grossi — and a few of us who refused to accept the narrative that Flacco was finished.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Grossi highlighted another stat that exposes the decision’s madness:

“The Browns have had 41 quarterbacks start a game since 1999. Only three have regular-season winning records in games started and completed for the Browns.
Case Keenum: 2-0
Brian Hoyer: 9-6
Joe Flacco: 5-4.” — @TonyGrossi, Oct 9, 2025

Let that sink in — the only active QB with a winning record for Cleveland is the one they traded away.

The Media Missed — Except Grossi and a Few Others

While many local voices mocked the move, Grossi and I saw it for what it was: a front-office blunder driven by ego and analytics over experience.

The Browns didn’t lose a player — they lost their backbone.

Wacko for Flacco — The Redemption Tour

On Thursday night, the Jungle went #WackoForFlacco.
The veteran QB Cleveland discarded commanded a new offense like he’d been there a season. He looked sharp, accurate, and confident — everything the Browns haven’t been.

As Prime Video’s former quarterback analyst, Kirk Herbstreit called Flacco “a unicorn.” And he was right.

The Bottom Line

I feel for Browns players and fans.
They deserve better leadership and a front office that values results over excuses.

Joe Vincent Flacco wasn’t washed. The wrong people made another terrible call in Cleveland regarding a Quarterback.

Now Flacco is proving them wrong under brighter lights and louder cheers.

Mike Tomlin knew it.
Tony Grossi knew it.
Some of us said it then — and the nation sees it now.

The Browns let their unicorn go.
And now that unicorn is on fire.