The Cleveland Browns Are Paying Almost $42 Million To 8 Different Quarterbacks This Year

The Cleveland Browns are paying almost $42 million to eight different quarterbacks in 2025. Unfortunately, only two of them are actually on the team’s active roster and all that money has, so far, has resulted in the team being outscored 73 to 123 and a 1-4 record.

Of the $41.65 million that the Cleveland Browns are paying quarterback this season, just $2.37 million of that is going to active players, according to Michael Ginnitti, Co-Founder and Editor of Spotrac: Dillon Gabriel, $1.1 million, and Shedeur Sanders, $955,000.

The rest of the money the Browns are spending on quarterbacks is going to the newly traded Joe Flacco ($999,000), Jameis Winston ($2.2 million), Bailey Zappe ($315,000), Dorian Thompson-Robinson ($171,000), Kenny Pickett ($8,000), and Deshaun Watson ($35.9 million). Of note, Flacco’s cap hit for the Browns actually goes up in 2026 to $1.4 million. Also, according to Front Office Sports, had the Browns cut Watson this past off-season, they would incurred a $172.3 million cap hit.

Dillon Gabriel, the latest quarterback to start for the Browns, because the 41st different player to start a game at that position since the Cleveland Browns re-joined the NFL in 1999 after being moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens in 1995.

That list now includes Gabriel, Tim Couch, Ty Detmer, Doug Pederson, Spergon Wynn, Kelly Holcomb, Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown, Trent Dilfer, Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey, Bruce Gradkowski, Colt McCoy, Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace, Brandon Weeden, Thad Lewis, Jason Campbell, Brian Hoyer, Johnny Manziel, Connor Shaw, Josh McCown, Austin Davis, Cody Kessler, Robert Griffin III, DeShone Kizer, Kevin Hogan, Tyrod Taylor, Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum, Nick Mullens, Jacoby Brissett, Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, Jeff Driskel, Jameis Winston, and Bailey Zappe.

Since joining the NFL in 1950, the Browns have had a whopping 68 different quarterbacks. Things got so bad at one point in 2023 that former Browns head coach Al Saunders actually called into a sports radio show to offer his advice on the position.

Who has had it worse? Cleveland or Chicago?

At this point, the only NFL team to come even close to the number of quarterbacks the Cleveland Browns have run through is the Chicago Bears.

Since Hall of Famer Sid Luckman retired after the 1950 NFL season (the same year the Browns came into the NFL), Bears fans have had to suffer through 65 different starting quarterbacks including Bob Avellini, Vince Evans, Mike Tomczak, Steve Walsh, Shane Matthews, Cade McNown, Jim Miller, Kyle Orton, Brian Griese, Jason Campbell, Mike Glennon, Caleb Hanie, Jimmy Clausen, Chase Daniel, Chad Hutchinson, Jonathan Quinn, Craig Krenzel, Steve Fuller, Rusty Lisch, Mike Hohensee, Henry Burris, Steve Stenstrom, Moses Moreno, Todd Collins, Brian Hoyer, Josh McCown, Rick Mirer, Peter Tom Willis, Will Furrer, Matt Barkley, Mitchell Trubisky, Trevor Siemian, Nathan Peterman, and Tyson Bagent.

As one of the actual decent quarterbacks the Bears have ever had, Jim McMahon, once said about Chicago, “I think it’s where quarterbacks go to...