Joe Flacco will be the backup to dual-threat QB Anthony Richardson of the Colts after agreeing to a 1-year contract with $4.5 million in guarantees.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Day 3 of NFL free agency …
1. Happy New Year.
On the first official day of the 2024 NFL calendar year, the day the salary cap takes effect and previous trades and deals are made official, Joe Flacco found a new home.
Rejected by the Browns after taking them to the playoffs with four straight wins in December, earning himself the NFL comeback player-of-the-year award, Flacco signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts.
Flacco received essentially the same deal the Browns gave to Jameis Winston (1 year, up to $8.7 million) with one caveat. Flacco received $4.5 million in guarantees; Winston got $4 million.
Flacco, 39, will be the back-up QB to 2023 first-round draft pick Anthony Richardson, whose rookie season ended with a severe A/C joint sprain in Game 5 which required surgery.
Oh, by the way, Richardson is a dual-threat quarterback like Deshaun Watson. So the “he’s not a scheme fit” excuse the Browns passed along to some media is pure bunk.
2. The Browns formally confirmed the trade with Denver for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, and confirmed the draft picks surrendered were the higher of two the Browns owned in the fifth and sixth rounds. The fifth-rounder came from Carolina in the trade for Baker Mayfield and the sixth-rounder came from Houston in the Watson trade.
Also, the Browns confirmed the re-signing of defensive end Za’Darius Smith (two years, $23.5 million), and the signing of linebacker Jordan Hicks (two years, $8 million), running back/returner Nyheim Hines (one year, undisclosed), and offensive tackle Hakeem Adeniji (one year, undisclosed).
3. In an interview with the official Website of the Browns, Jeudy confirmed he’s excited about teaming with his high school and college idol, Amari Cooper.
Cooper reached out to Jeudy after the trade.
“It means a lot,” Jeudy said to ClevelandBrowns.com. “In my time at Bama, I got a chance to catch up with Amari and become close friends with him. That's a guy that I've been modeling my game after for a long time and been watching him since I was young. So, being able to play alongside him it's going to be exciting.”
4. As expected, the Browns re-signed punter Corey Bojorquez to a two-year deal. Bojorquez is the fifth free agent brought back by the Browns. The others: Smith, defensive tackles Maurice Hurst and Shelby Harris, and offensive lineman Michael Dunn.
5. After a trade with the Houston Texans fell through, the San Francisco 49ers released defensive tackle Arik Armstead, making him a free agent. While I expect the Browns eventually to add a starting-caliber tackle to their defense, and a veteran third safety, they don’t have sufficient salary cap space to do so now.
According to salary cap Websites spotrac.com and overthecap.com, the Browns have in the vicinity of $1.2 million in available cap space.
Browns GM Andrew Berry still has to do some contract restructurings, conversions or extensions to create room not only for more spending in free agency but also to accommodate to cover their pre-determined rookie salary pool of about $5 million.
Candidates for these maneuvers include Cooper, Jeudy and running back Nick Chubb.
Berry seems reluctant to convert Watson’s $46 million salary for a third year in a row.
6. Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that University of Connecticut offensive coordinator Nick Charlton is joining the Browns as offensive assistant/run game specialist.
Charlton, 35, was head coach at University of Maine from 2019 through 2021, making him the youngest head coach at a FCS Division I program at the time.
As coordinator at UConn under coach Jim Mora, Charlton doubled as play-caller and quarterbacks coach.
Charlton is the sixth new coach on offense hired by Kevin Stefanski as he tries again to make the offense more compatible to Watson’s desire to play predominantly from the shotgun and pistol formations.