In a quarterback room full of youth, hyp and hashtags, Joe Flacco is choosing silence.
Not the silent treatment — the 40-year-old former Super Bowl MVP and veteran Cleveland Browns quarterback is as engaged as ever inside the facility. But outside it? On social media, especially on X (formerly Twitter), where quarterback competitions now generate real-time narratives and hot takes? Flacco wants no part of it.
“I won’t even download it on my phone just because I know it’s a trap to just get sucked in,” Flacco said during Browns minicamp, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal.
In a league where narratives can shift with a single highlight clip or quote, Flacco is opting out entirely.
And maybe, that’s what sets him apart in Cleveland’s four-way quarterback competition.
Browns QB Room Divided By Era
The Browns’ current quarterback battle is uniquely shaped by the times. There’s Flacco, the veteran who’s seen it all. There’s Kenny Pickett, the former Steelers starter with something to prove. And then there are two rookies — Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel — each bringing not just talent, but built-in followings on those popular platforms.
Sanders alone has millions of fans who track his every move, many of whom still believe he should’ve been a top-five draft pick. And when he’s not declared the immediate favorite for the starting job, the response online is swift and loud.
Gabriel summed it up best: “It’s the Amazon lifestyle… a microwave mentality.”
While the rookies navigate a world where public perception can shape opportunity, Flacco is immune to it at this stage of his long. His refusal to engage with the swirl of online opinions isn’t old-school stubbornness — it’s seasoned wisdom.
“You still have the same thing you always had — a million different opinions,” Flacco said. “Now it’s just all in the same place, mixed in with what people treat as actual news.”
That blend of commentary and news — fact and fan fiction — can pressure young quarterbacks into chasing approval that doesn’t exist inside the film room. For Flacco, the only eyes that matter are those in the coaches’ offices. And in a league that devours hot takes and spits out patience, that mindset might give him a real edge.
The Real Battle Isn’t Online
Head coach Kevin Stefanski insists the focus remains internal.
“Yeah, I think probably the biggest difference nowadays is social media, I would expect,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said during minicamp June 11. “Listen, the news cycle is 365 days a year and there’s a lot of content and there’s a lot of hours to fill, as you guys all well know. So, and also we understand how popular our sport is, how interested our fans are in our sport. So, we embrace that. We like that part.
“Having said that, once we get inside the building, we really do focus on where our feet are. We focus that we’re here. We focus on what we have in front of us. And I think all of our players have done a great job of understanding that.”
Flacco, however, won’t hear it. He’s tuned out by design.
And that might be what separates him from the rest.
While others may ride the waves of daily narrative shifts, Flacco is planted — not just in the playbook, but in perspective. No tweets. No traps. Just ready to play some football.
In 2025, that might be the most underrated quarterback skill of all.
