The New England Patriots desperately need to make a splash in free agency or at the draft to ensure they have much better quarterback play than they have had since the departure of Tom Brady.
The team may be ready to bring in a former Super Bowl contender.
The Cleveland Browns will have competition for QB Joe Flacco in free agency from the New England Patriots. Flacco has been linked to the Patriots following their hire of former Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported.
“I’m hearing the Patriots are interested in possibly signing Flacco as a bridge starter to help mentor a rookie quarterback if they select one at No. 3 overall, such as North Carolina’s Drake Maye. Former Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt — now in that role in New England — is helping to lead the charge on the quarterback search, and knows as well as anyone that Flacco has plenty left in the tank even though he turned 39 on Jan. 16.
First-round quarterbacks often start right away, but some teams prefer to let them learn behind a veteran, at least for part of the season. Flacco, the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, would be excellent in that role, and knows what to expect with Van Pelt. Like other teams in that category, the Patriots will consider other quarterbacks such as Jacoby Brissett, who [is] also on the Browns’ radar.”
Baker Mayfield played under Van Pelt during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Most recently, Van Pelt helped quarterback Joe Flacco earn Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year honors for this past campaign.
Cabot called the Van Pelt-Flacco partnership “a match made in heaven.”
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Flacco went 4-1 as Cleveland’s starter down the stretch of the regular season after a November shoulder surgery sidelined Deshaun Watson for the remainder of the year. He helped the Browns finish second in the AFC North. Cleveland earned the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.
Flacco passed for 1,616 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions in a little less than two months.
Flacco led the Ravens to the championship in Super Bowl XLVII and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
