Browns are now paying eight different quarterbacks in 2025 (in relation to cap hits)

At some point, the madness has to stop, right?

I could go on a rant about how the Cleveland Browns blew it by getting rid of Baker Mayfield years ago in favor of Deshaun Watson. Mayfield is currently beloved by Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans, and seems to lead a game-winning comeback every week down there. My Aunt in Florida even raves about getting to watch him week in and week out.

Nonetheless, since parting ways with Mayfield, the Browns keep searching for that answer. And now with the most recent deal — trading Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals — Cleveland has eight quarterbacks who count against the team’s salary cap in 2025:

Now obviously, the biggest sight for sore eyes on that list remains Deshaun Watson, as the likes of Jameis Winston, Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders, Bailey Zappe, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Kenny Pickett are receiving peanuts in comparison. The madness could only continue into 2026, depending on what happens with Watson’s contract, and if the Browns decide to draft someone with one of their two first-round draft picks. With the Jaguars’ red-hot start to the season, one of those draft picks might not be as lucrative as the Browns had hoped for too.

As for Flacco, here is a look back at the contract the Browns signed him to in May 2025, and what happens now:

• Base Salary: Cleveland had $1.255 million allocated to Flacco in base salary. He played 5 games with Cleveland. ($1.255 million / 18 weeks) * 5 weeks = $348,611 charged to the Browns, while the remaining $906,389 goes over to the Bengals.
• Signing Bonus: Cleveland owes the $1.745 million signing bonus in full. $349,000 counts against the cap this year, while the remaining $1.396 million will count as dead cap in 2026 for the Browns.
• Roster Bonus: Flacco is due a $250,000 roster bonus if he is on the roster for the final game of this season. That potential bonus/cap hit now shifts over to Cincinnati, so it technically frees up some cap space for Cleveland this year.
• Per Game Bonus: Flacco was set to earn a per game roster bonus of $58,823 for each game he was active. That means 5 games for Cleveland ($294,115), with the remainder shifting to the Bengals’ cap, also freeing up some space for Cleveland this year.
• In Total: $348,611 + $349,000 + $294,115 = $991,726 in dead cap space for the Browns in 2025