There are four main quarterback competitions happening in the offseason, and all can be bet on. We started the season with five. However, after Rodgers signed with the Steelers, that one is all but wrapped up. We’re on the last one, the Cleveland Browns. Let’s take a look at the Cleveland Browns starting QB odds and who I think will start at quarterback.
Other quarterback competitions we’ve covered include the New Orleans Saints, the Indianapolis Colts, and the New York Giants.
Cleveland Browns Starting QB Odds: Who Will Start at Quarterback
First, let’s talk about the players competing for the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback spot. The Browns brought back veteran Joe Flacco, who has played for them and won games for them before. Flacco came in two years ago, and it almost looked like a Flacco-resurgence with the way he was slinging the ball.
The Browns also traded to get Kenny Pickett, the former starting quarterback for the Steelers. Pickett was brought in as somebody who is both a veteran and also young enough to develop if they choose to do so. He can fit all roles as a veteran presence, backup, bridge quarterback, or somebody to develop into their full-time starter.
When the draft rolled around, everybody expected the Browns to take a quarterback. However, they waited until the third round to draft Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. It was a surprise to most, as many analysts had them drafting Shedeur Sanders. Well, they did that too.
They waited until the fifth round, and with Sanders still available, they drafted him. It’s not unheard of, but it is unusual to see a team take two rookie quarterbacks, especially just two rounds apart. This is by far the most interesting quarterback battle because outside of experience, there’s not a clear starer in my opinion. Let’s take a look at each quarterback and who has the best chance to win the Browns’ starting QB spot.
Joe Flacco (+125)
We talked about Russell Wilson earlier in the week with the Giants and how it seems they’re ready to hand him the keys. I don’t know if the same can be said for Flacco, and the odds makers agree. While he is the favorite to make the start, it’s still at plus money, which means if you placed a wager and it’s right, you’ll more than double your bet.
Last year with the Colts, Flacco threw for 1761 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He started games for this same Cleveland team in 2023 and threw for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. With Flacco, the Browns know what they’re getting.
The question is, does it help the team? Yes, he is a veteran presence in the locker room. However, Flacco is 40 years old and is going to turn in some mixed results in the win-loss column. Does a team that is currently going through a rebuild worry about wins and losses?
In the AFC North, they’re competing with teams like the Ravens, Bengals, and Steelers. The Browns have to be realistic and see that they are the third team in that mix at best, but more likely the fourth team. For lack of better words, does it make any sense at all to trot out Joe Flacco to manage this team?
You’ll have to wait until the end of the article to get my opinion on that. Flacco is playing on a one-year deal worth four million dollars guaranteed. There are 13 million dollars of incentives, however. He gets a $58,823 bonus for every active game ($1 million total) and $250,000 roster bonus. Other incentives include $75,000 for every win where he plays over 50% of the snaps, playing time incentives (up to $1.5 million for 80% of the season), playoff incentives, and team All-Pro incentives.
Kenny Pickett (+220)
After being drafted by the Steelers and starting for two years, Pickett landed on the Eagles. For the Steelers in his two years of starting, Pickett had 4,474 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He started one game for the Eagles last year and finished with 291 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
The Browns traded quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick for Pickett this offseason. He is only owed $2.62 million in 2025 and then will hit the free agency. While it isn’t much of a hit on the salary cap, giving up DTR and a fifth-round pick shows that the Browns thought Pickett could provide some value.
This was all prior to them drafting two quarterbacks, of course. However, this was before they signed Joe Flacco in 2025, as well as before they drafted the two rookies. At the time, the only other quarterback on the roster was the injured and PR-nightmare, Deshaun Watson.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Browns decide to do with the Pickett situation. A once-promising quarterback who has yet to reach his potential, he’s still a young player with a lot of talent in only his fourth year. He opened mini-camp and OTAs working with the second-string, indicating that the Browns may view him as a viable backup as of right now.
Shedeur Sanders (+370)
When everybody expected the Browns to draft a starting QB, Shedeur Sanders seemed to be the name thrown out the most. As the world watched Sanders slide in the NFL draft, the Browns ended the slide in the fifth round. It was a questionable move, since they had already drafted Gabriel.
However, it may be considered a smart one. When you have your draft board and you choose to just pick the best player available, it’s often a good way to build your franchise up rather than reach for somebody else. Sanders is a hot head who followed his dad/head coach from Jacksonville State to Colorado.
His senior year last year, he threw for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and ten interceptions. Sanders is a polarizing player in many different ways. He has a ton of talent and is very athletic. However, the majority of his passing yards came from short air yardage and yards after the catch from his receivers.
He’s a confident player. Although when you watch him after games or in press conferences, you’ll walk away thinking he’s too confident. Arrogant, in fact. Perhaps it’s not his fault, and it’s the way Deion has built him up as he grew up. However, on draft day, you saw that many teams wanted no part of it, despite the potential. Can Sanders be the star the Browns have been looking for?
Dillon Gabriel (+830)
The least likely to start, according to the books anyway, is Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel was selected in the third round with pick number 94, two rounds prior to Shedeur Sanders. You have to imagine that since they took Gabriel two rounds earlier, the Browns’ brass believed in him more.
Gabriel started his collegiate career at UCF before transferring to Oklahoma, and then finally to Oregon in his last year of eligibility. In the six years, he had five seasons of over 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. He never threw double-digit interceptions either.
Gabriel finished last year with 3,857 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and six interceptions. An almost identical total to his prior year at Oklahoma. He also had a 72.9% passing completion percentage and ran for seven touchdowns last year.
The Hawaii native has shown success on multiple teams in college and now hopes to compete to be the Browns’ franchise quarterback. One thing the Brows did well at the quarterback spot is taking two guys with talent. It’s very possible if both pan out to play well, they can trade one of them. However, this doesn’t offer us any additional clarity going into the year.
Who Will Be The Browns’ Starting QB In Week 1?
Predicting who is going to be the Browns’ starting QB in Week 1 isn’t easy. It all depends on the direction the Browns decide to roll, obviously. However, I have a theory, even if it may not be the clearest choice. One of the most interesting things is that while the Browns COULD carry four quarterbacks on their roster, the likelihood of that is small. They’d be leaving themselves thin at another position.
Watson will be on the roster, but on the injured reserve to start the season. Once he is healthy, it’ll get even more interesting, although I think his time in Cleveland is done. Also, due to the massive contract and the terrible PR he brings, I don’t expect a trade to come up for him.
The question that needs answering before we can pick a starter is, if the Browns don’t carry four quarterbacks on the roster, who are they most likely to cut? They likely won’t cut one of the rookies. Otherwise, it’s a waste of a draft pick. Neither of these rookies would clear waivers to be practice-squad eligible.
However, it makes me wonder if Kenny Pickett is a viable option. They gave up a pick and a player to get him on their team, and while he hasn’t broken out as a franchise quarterback, he is a veteran who’s now played two different systems in the NFL. He also likely wouldn’t clear waivers.
That leaves Joe Flacco. 40 years old and a lot of experience. However, of the four quarterbacks, he is the most likely to clear waivers and could be added to the practice squad as the one veteran on the squad. I think it makes the most sense.
He’s due the most bonuses for being on the active roster, and taking out the incentives, he has the least amount of collateral wrapped up in him. Plus, the Browns know what they get with Flacco. He makes sense if they’re competing. I don’t think they’re competing this year.
Therefore, my money is on Kenny Pickett to open the season as the starter. He won’t be the starter for long, as they’ll try their rookies out as well. However, I think he takes that first snap for the Cleveland Browns at their starting QB spot.
