CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns made a jaw-dropping move this week, trading veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the division rival Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for moving up from a sixth-round pick to a fifth-round pick in the upcoming draft. While the compensation seems minor, the implications of this trade reverberate through the AFC North and potentially through the rest of the Browns’ season.
On the Orange and Brown Talk podcast, Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot immediately identified the high-stakes nature of this transaction.
“Well, it does feel like a win-win — until Joe Flacco beats the Browns in the season finale to knock the Browns out of the playoffs, then it won’t be,” Cabot said, highlighting the nightmare scenario that now looms over Cleveland’s season.
The timing of this trade raises serious questions about the Browns’ perspective on their own 2025 campaign. At 1-4, are they waving the white flag on the season? Orange and Brown Talk host Dan Labbe certainly sees it that way.
“I don’t think this is the white flag necessarily, but it feels pretty close to the white flag just because I think of who they traded him to,” Labbe said on the podcast. “Had they traded him to like an NFC team or something, it’d be like, yeah, OK, you’re, you’re doing Joe a favor. Instead, you traded him to one of the teams that, if you believe you still have a chance, you’re kind of helping out one of those teams that you’re chasing.”
What makes this trade particularly dangerous is the difference between the weapons Flacco will have in Cincinnati versus what he had in Cleveland. The Bengals boast an elite receiver corps featuring Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and others who could potentially elevate Flacco’s performance to levels the Browns couldn’t unlock.
“I think if you put him with that group of pass catchers, you should be afraid of Joe Flacco. You should absolutely be afraid of Joe Flacco,” Cabot warned.
While the Browns have committed to rookie Dillon Gabriel as their starter, helping a division rival solidify their quarterback situation while Joe Burrow recovers from injury could significantly impact the playoff race. Cincinnati currently sits at 2-3, ahead of both Cleveland and Baltimore at 1-4, in an unusually vulnerable AFC North where only Pittsburgh (3-1) has a winning record.
There’s also the potential ripple effect in Cleveland’s locker room. Flacco was a team captain and respected veteran leader who stepped up in 2023 to lead the Browns to the playoffs. His departure could affect team morale, especially among veteran players who recognized his value both on and off the field.
The trade does represent a significant opportunity for Flacco himself. At 40 years old, getting another chance to start and potentially lead a playoff run is a gift few quarterbacks his age receive. With Cincinnati’s elite receiving talent, Flacco could capitalize on his arm strength in ways that weren’t possible in Cleveland’s struggling offense.
“This is a quarterback mess here this season,” Cabot noted. “And for a guy like him who’s 40 years old, he doesn’t need to sit here on the bench behind Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.”
The Browns-Bengals matchup in the season finale now looms with added drama. What if Flacco, armed with Cincinnati’s weapons, delivers the knockout blow to Cleveland’s playoff hopes? It would be the most Cleveland ending imaginable to a turbulent season.
For a team that has struggled to score more than 17 points in ten straight games, helping a division rival address their biggest weakness seems questionable at best. The trade may benefit Flacco and even net the Browns a slightly better draft pick, but the potential cost could be far greater if it comes back to haunt them in January.
Want to hear more about this shocking trade and its implications? Listen to the full Orange and Brown Talk podcast where Labbe and Cabot break down all the angles of this high-stakes AFC North gamble and what it means for the Browns’ season going forward.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
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