Joe Flacco’s return to Cleveland says as much about the Browns’ current quarterback uncertainty as it does about the bond he built with the franchise in 2023. After a one-year stint with the Colts, Flacco is back in the mix, rejoining the team that turned to him midseason two years ago and watched him spark a playoff run that briefly made him the city’s unlikely favorite. Cleveland chose not to re-sign him in 2024, counting instead on Deshaun Watson to finally stabilize the position. But when Watson suffered a second Achilles tear in Week 7—effectively sidelining him for the foreseeable future—the Browns were once again left scrambling.First came a trade for Kenny Pickett early this year, followed by a familiar solution: Flacco, now 39, signed to compete for the job once again, this time with a deeper quarterback room and even more uncertainty at the top. Browns’ decision to bring in 2 rookie QBs to the team during the draft did two things. 1. Improve the competition and 2. Secure the team’s future when it came to quarterbacksWith two rookie quarterbacks now in the mix, the Browns have signaled a focus on both future development and immediate competition. That makes veteran leadership essential, and Joe Flacco, the most experienced QB on the roster, would seem the obvious fit. But Flacco has made his priorities clear: he’s here to compete, not to mentor. His stance, especially with a high-profile rookie like Shedeur in the room, has sparked speculation that Cleveland could move Flacco rather than force a fit that doesn’t align with his mindset—or the team’s long-term vision.Discussing the possibility of the rumored trading off of Joe Flacco were Mike Florio and Michael Holley on Pro Football Talk on NBC. Holley, while referring to the trading rumors, suggested a trade between the Browns and the Titans, if it ever does happen. He suggested trading Joe Flacco to the Titans as Cam Ward‘s mentor in exchange for the Titans’ Will Levis. Holley said, “Put Joe Flacco in Tennessee as a mentor to Cam Ward and throw Will Levis into the Cleveland Browns quarterback circus. So that would be a lot of fun to watch.” While Mike talked about Flacco’s response of not being interested in mentoring, he said, “Flacco leads by example. And I think Cam Ward is the kind of guy who also leads by example and would learn by studying the example of Joe Flacco. That could be something.” However, the rumors about Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski trading off Joe Flacco seem all too sudden. Especially considering the recent reports, which rather placed Flacco at the forefront of the QB1 race at the Browns. Which is also the reason why the Browns signed him, despite already having Kenny Pickett with the draft remaining at that time. In addition to this, reports from Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi revealed that Joe Flacco “operated the offense the best, pushed the ball downfield” in the OTAs. This forces the question of whether Coach Stefanski will really take such a risk by trading off a player like Flacco.While Flacco might not be willing to mentor players, including Shedeur. Players do have a lot to learn from him. After all, he is highly experienced and will always be ready to share tips and talk to the players. He just won’t force players to do things a certain way.Joe Flacco is not so keen on being a mentorJoe Flacco is one of the most experienced guys on the gridiron right now. Coming into his 18th season in the NFL, he would be expected to guide the younger players. Especially right now, with the Browns having 2 rookies coming in from the draft. Players and management will also be hoping he takes on to mentor the two rookies. But Flacco has revealed his intentions very clearly when it came to mentoring players.In a press conference during the OTAs, Flacco responded to the idea of mentoring players like Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. “It’s a good question to bait somebody into answering. And no matter how they answer it, it kind of makes the guy that’s answering it look bad,” Flacco said, not giving in to the narrative often used by the press. “If I say, ‘I don’t want to be a mentor,’ I look bad. If I say, ‘I do want to be a mentor,’ then I look like an idiot that doesn’t care about being good and playing football,” reasoned Flacco on why he doesn’t want to be a mentor just yet.“I tend to try to be honest, and I’ve said, ‘I’m not a mentor. I play football.’ And in a quarterback room, there’s a lot of times. Already, there’s been already a ton of times — where there’s learning experiences and I have a lot of experience, and I can talk on things, and hopefully they listen,” said Flacco trying to explain his response and limited the damage which he knew the media do when they write about it.“But it’s not necessarily my job to make sure they listen to me. Hey, hopefully you have a really good relationship with the guys that are in the room, and you naturally want to do that,” He added. Indicating that if the players want to learn from him by watching and observing him, they’re welcome. But it’s not Flacco who is going to take the initiative to teach others. It has to be the players.The post Kevin Stefanski to Trade Joe Flacco After Browns QB Refuses Shedeur Sanders Mentorship In QB Battle – Report appeared first on EssentiallySports.