One of the most shocking developments of the 2023 NFL season was the play of Joe Flacco, who came off his couch and essentially saved the Cleveland Browns’ season.

But despite the success Flacco had with the Browns, The Athletic’s Zac Jackson doesn’t expect him to be back with the team:

Despite a long and successful career during which he won a Super Bowl and earned an estimated $175 million, Flacco isn’t ready to hang up his cleats just yet. And one would think there will likely be plenty of interest in the 39-year-old signal-caller on the open market.

The Browns already have a franchise quarterback in Deshaun Watson

After spending two seasons with the New York Jets, Flacco took no free agent offers during the 2023 offseason but signed with Cleveland’s practice squad in November after Deshaun Watson was ruled out for the year. Flacco then became the Browns’ starter after Dorian Thompson-Robinson suffered a concussion.

The New Jersey native drew five regular-season starts for the Browns, going 4-1 in those contests, completing 60.3% of his passes for 1,616 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Unfortunately for Browns fans, things came crashing back down in the postseason as Flacco threw a pair of pick-sixes in a 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round.

Following the season, Flacco was named the league’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. Despite the honor, Cleveland will move on with Deshaun Watson, who will have a nearly $64 million cap number next year. They still have Thompson-Robinson to develop as a backup.

With several college quarterbacks expected to be drafted this year, Flacco could be looking for the opportunity to be a bridge QB while a youngster develops. If he can’t land one of those gigs, he could look to be a high-end backup in 2024.