With the report that the Cleveland Browns could keep four quarterbacks heading into the 2025 season, the Patriots face an interesting dilemma: who do they prepare to face in their week eight matchup?
The good news is that there could be some clarity by that point in the season. Or it could be in the middle of a Cleveland quarterback controversy.
The smart money is currently on Joe Flacco. Flacco most recently started six games for an Indianapolis Colts team that missed the playoffs, but he is only two years removed from earning NFL Comeback Player of the Year after leading the same Browns to the playoffs with four wins in five starts down the stretch. Can he rekindle some of that same magic in 2025? Time will tell.
From there, it gets convoluted, which could be an issue the Patriots face when they matchup with the Browns in Week 8.
The Patriots might have to prepare for the unknown in a few games this season, starting with the BR
Kenny Pickett is another veteran option with starting experience, compiling a 15-10 record between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in three years. At least one Browns receiver has hinted at Pickett emerging as the starter, and with the other two options besides Flacco being rookies, that isn't too far-fetched.
As far as the rookies go, it's one of the more interesting dynamics in recent memory. Unlike the Drake Maye/Joe Milton situation in New England a year ago and Robert Griffin III/Kirk Cousins in 2012, the Browns did not draft a quarterback in the first round. Or the second.
Cleveland took the well-traveled Dillon Gabriel in the third round (94th overall), and when Colorado's Shedeur Sanders was still on the board at pick No. 144 in the fifth round, the Browns couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Gabriel finished his decorated career as a Heisman Trophy finalist after leading the Oregon Ducks to an undefeated regular season and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Between stints at UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon, Gabriel set multiple NCAA FBS records, including most touchdowns, most passing touchdowns, and most starts.
Sanders needs no introduction. Once projected as a high first-round pick, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders helped put Colorado back on the map with 14,353 yards and 134 touchdowns. His accolades include the Johnny Unitas Award as the top quarterback in college football, first-team All-America, and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Sanders led Colorado to a 9-3 regular season record in 2024, earning the Buffaloes a spot in the Valero Alamo Bowl—the school's first bowl appearance since 2020.
With two veterans and two rookies, Cleveland is sitting in a unique spot where the rookies, Gabriel and Sanders, can battle it out for a year (or more) to see who emerges while Flacco and Pickett keep the ship afloat in the meantime.
It's not ideal for the Patriots to game plan for the week eight matchup—unless Cleveland hurts itself by being unable to decide on a long-term starter.