New England Patriots Named Top Trade Suitor for Cleveland Browns' Quarterback

The Cleveland Browns have a lot of soul-searching to do during the rest of the offseason. Throughout training camp and preseason, they'll need to work diligently to flesh out Head Coach Kevin Stefanski's vision for this team, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

They'll be bringing one of the most lethal defenses in the NFL into the 2025 season, featuring a monstrous front seven led by Myles Garrett. With the sheer amount of talent they have on D, it wouldn't be absurd to think they could compete for a Wild Card spot if they're able to assemble a passable offense, but that's a big "if."

Their main focus in training camp will be trying to identify a starting quarterback to take over for the injured Deshaun Watson. Whether Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, or Shedeur Sanders is named QB1 will factor largely into what they'll want to do with the rest of this roster.

For example, suppose one of the rookies impresses throughout training camp and preseason and wins the starting gig off the bat. That'll open up massive trade opportunities for Cleveland. After all, the Browns aren't the only team in the NFL with question marks under center.

Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett aren't exactly super exciting names for franchises in need of a quarterback, but they could serve as a bridge while realistically game-managing their way to some wins. Dawg Pound Daily's Mark Sipos recently suggested that the New England Patriots should target Flacco if he were to be made available:

"The Patriots showed interest in Flacco earlier this offseason before he re-signed with Cleveland. Drake Maye has the keys now, but the depth behind him is shaky with Joshua Dobbs and Ben Wooldridge. Flacco would give New England a no-nonsense veteran who can manage the quarterback room, help prep Maye for gameday, and step in if needed without derailing the offense."

With the Pats already showing interest in the veteran before he ultimately reupped with the Browns, Cleveland might be able to extract some real value out of a potential deal to send Flacco to New England. Granted, this is all reliant on one of the young quarterbacks beating him out for the Browns' QB1 spot first.