Kenny Pickett said he plans on being the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback.
Newly signed veteran Joe Flacco wouldn't make that declaration Wednesday during a radio appearance on ESPN Cleveland.
"I don't think there's any expectation of exactly who's going to be the starting quarterback," Flacco said. "So, you know, I'm excited to get in that room and go show that I have a lot of football ahead of me and kind of become part of the team and do my best to prove all those things -- just like you always would when you kind of come into a new situation and want to be the guy."
The Browns inked Flacco to an incentive-laden contract to bring the 40-year-old back to Cleveland, where he won the 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year Award, after one season in Indianapolis. The veteran's experience and success in Kevin Stefanski's system give Flacco a leg up if the competition remains between him and Pickett.
The big question a week before the 2025 NFL Draft is whether the Browns will also bring in a rookie quarterback -- and whether that player will come in the first round or later. Flacco noted that he has no qualms about being a mentor and believes that the more capable signal-callers in the room, the better for the team.
"I do think competition in that quarterback room, in general, kind of breeds the environment to learn and become the best version of yourself," he said.
Flacco, who turned 40 in January, enters his 18th season after the Baltimore Ravens made him a first-round pick in 2008. Flacco quipped that he wants to keep playing to avoid being at home.
"I love football," Flacco said. "I still feel like I can do it at a high level. ... I don't have regrets in my life. This is one of those things, like, if I still feel like I can do it and somebody else still feels like I can do it enough to [give me] a chance, well, this probably would be something I would regret not doing. And then also, I have five kids at home and I've got to get away from them, you know, a little bit."
The Browns provided a chance for Flacco to continue his career. In a week, we should have a better idea whether that will be more of a mentor role or the favorite to start Week 1 in Cleveland.