Joe Flacco, Mason Rudolph, and Mitch Trubisky could have an effect on the QB carousel between the Steelers and Browns.
As AFC North rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns are inextricably linked. There might also be some connection between their quarterback situations this offseason.
Quarterback Joe Flacco and the Browns must decide if they can stay together through 2024 after Flacco’s team won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023. But if Deshaun Watson fully recovers from his shoulder injury, the Browns will probably go back to him as their starter.
A report from Cleveland.com claims that Flacco will try to sign a contract as a free agent and look for a team that might give him a chance to earn a starting position.
Much like Mason Rudolph, the upcoming free agent quarterback for the Steelers, probably will.
Reporter Mary Kay Cabot claims that Flacco would be open to going back to Cleveland if that doesn’t work out.
In the same way that Rudolph might in Pittsburgh should he not discover a more hospitable opportunity to start somewhere else.
Even though it would mean supporting Deshaun Watson, Flacco would really like to stay in Cleveland if he can’t find better opportunities elsewhere. The Browns will focus on other seasoned backups if he signs with another team, according to Cabot.
Mitch Trubisky and former Brown Jacoby Brissett were two names that Cabot mentioned. The former Steeler is from Mentor, Ohio, which is 25 minutes away from Cleveland. In the 2017 draft, Cabot claims that the Browns “loved” Trubisky.
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At the NFL Combine, quarterbacks with Steelers aspirations gained a lot of attention. John Harbaugh of the Ravens didn’t think Mike Tomlin was going to leave the team.
If Rudolph leaves and the Steelers decide not to go big at the position by signing Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, or others, Brissett has been mentioned as a possible backup for Kenny Pickett in Pittsburgh.
Talk about all three of those quarterbacks, as well as their mobility, was very popular on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Therefore, don’t be shocked if the Browns or the Steelers are impacted by decisions made by the Browns during the yearly NFL offseason quarterback musical chairs.
especially if Rudolph accepts a position that Flacco could have had, or vice versa.
One more thing regarding Rudolph. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell may have mentioned him to you this week. He published a list of possible free-agent quarterbacks on ESPN.com. Barnwell stated that Rudolph “is likely to re-sign with the Steelers.”
In my opinion, the word “likely” sounds a little strong at this point, before we even get to
Rudolph’s return is still a possibility, based on the rumours I’ve followed regarding the Steelers’ quarterback situation, but anything more than that is currently just conjecture.
Rudolph going back to Pittsburgh seems like a 50/50 shot in my opinion. It is “possible.” It’s not “likely,” at least not until the NFL occupies a few more quarterback lily pads.
Maybe one written by Flacco.
By the way, Barnwell ranked Rudolph and Trubisky as “backups likely to earn a roster spot” in the same “sixth tier” of free agents at quarterback in that post.
For Trubisky, that seems like a fitting description. Rudolph’s performance at the end of 2023 made me think of him as better than that.
