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Joe Flacco reacts to Browns benching, admits he doesn’t know ‘if I foresaw it coming’
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The Cleveland Browns are turning to rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel this week against the Minnesota Vikings in London, as head coach Kevin Stefanski shakes things up already at the position following a 1-3 start.
It’s a move that the 40-year-old veteran appeared blindsided by.
“Listen, I think I said it on Sunday, anytime you’re in this league, everybody’s always getting evaluated,” Flacco said, via Pro Football Talk. “The job of the quarterback is to help your team win football games. So, I don’t know if I foresaw it coming, but listen, me and Kevin can have a good conversation. It’s not like anything that was super long or drawn out like that. But, got to the point, had a good conversation about it, and it is what it is.”
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) throws the ball during warm ups before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Huntington Bank Field on Sept. 21, 2025. (Scott Galvin/Imagn Images)
Flacco will move to QB2, backing up Gabriel in London, while Shedeur Sanders, the fellow rookie of Gabriel, remains third on the depth chart.
While all talk was on the two rookies taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, especially after Sanders was taken in the fifth round in shocking fashion, Stefanski made it clear in training camp that Flacco was the starter after going through practices.
But through four games this season, Flacco has thrown just two touchdowns to six interceptions, completing only 58.1% of his passes in the process. As a result, the Browns’ offense is averaging just 14 points per game.
Now, serving as a backup isn’t what Flacco had in mind, but he’s ready to help Gabriel in any way possible.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) drops back to pass during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Sept. 14, 2025. (Peter Casey/Imagn Images)
“I think the best way to help him is continue to come to work with a good mindset every day and provide that positive energy and see what he needs on his end,” Flacco explained. “Listen, he’s into it, man. He’s ready to go. I’m sure he’s super excited about this opportunity. You can tell he takes it seriously just by the way he studies and his intent in the meeting rooms and on the practice field.”
Flacco rejoined the Browns this season, the same team he miraculously took to the 2023 playoffs which earned him the Comeback Player of the Year award. He’s a Super Bowl winner in the AFC North, though with the Baltimore Ravens, where he spent most of his career.
Given his pedigree, Flacco is disappointed in how he’s performed to start the season despite being ready if necessary in a backup role.
Joe Flacco of the Cleveland Browns looks to throw the ball against the Green Bay Packers at Huntington Bank Field on Sept. 21, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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“I think every situation is unique,” he said. “And I think you do get emotional about it, so it’s tough to, in the moment, draw on those experiences.”
Flacco will be on the sideline watching as Gabriel takes on the Vikings, who fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland in Week 4, 24-21.
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Twenty men have been charged in a point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 college basketball players on more than 17 NCAA Division I teams, leading to more than 29 games being fixed, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Fifteen of the defendants played college basketball during the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons, according to the indictment. Some have played this season. Two of the players named in the indictment, Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavian Short, were sanctioned in November by the NCAA for fixing New Orleans games.
At least two of the defendants, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, were also charged in a federal indictment in the Eastern District of New York centered on gambling schemes in the NBA.
Former NBA player Antonio Blakeney was named but not charged in the indictment. The indictment describes Blakeney as being “charged elsewhere.”
The scheme, according to the indictment, began around September 2022 and initially was focused on fixing games in the Chinese Basketball Association. The group later targeted college basketball games, offering bribes to college players ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 to compromise games for betting purposes, according to the indictment.
“In placing these wagers on games they had fixed, the defendants defrauded sportsbooks, as well as individual sports bettors, who were all unaware that the defendants had corruptly manipulated the outcome of these games that should have been decided fairly, based on genuine competition and the best efforts of the players,” the indictment said.
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USAA on Thursday announced the three finalists for the NFL’s Salute to Service Award, and a dynasty in San Francisco could be on the rise.
After 49ers star George Kittle took home the award last year, Christian McCaffrey is among three finalists for the league’s award, along with Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson and Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones as the finalists — Jones was a finalist last year, as well.
“The finalists for the 15th Annual Salute to Service Award presented by USAA have used their platforms to be exceptional advocates for the military community, reminding us that service doesn’t stop when the uniform comes off,” Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Bob Whittle, Senior Vice President and Head of Military Affairs at USAA, said in a release.
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Christian McCaffrey, Jake Ferguson and Aaron Jones are this year’s Salute to Service Award finalists. (, G Fiume, and John Fisher/Getty Images)
“The NFL and USAA applaud Jake Ferguson, Aaron Jones, and Christian McCaffrey as deserving finalists who have demonstrated exactly what the award stands for — using the power of football to connect with, empower, appreciate and uplift our service members, veterans and their families.”
McCaffrey launched 23 and Troops in 2021 to focus on post-traumatic stress and athlete-level care for veterans. The foundation has raised $700,000 for military support and paid off holiday layaway for 515 military families.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) celebrates his touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Ferguson has partnered with USAA to visit local military bases and supported the National Medal of Honor Museum, including an event in 2024 in which 900 students joined in person and thousands more virtually.
Jones grew up in a military household. His father, Alvin, served 29 years in the Army, while his mother, Vurgess, served for 27. Jones’ older brother, Xavier, serves in the Air Force. Jones and his twin brother, Alvin Jr., founded the A&A All the Way Foundation in 2020 to support the youth of military families.
The winner will be announced at NFL Honors in San Francisco on Feb. 5, the same night the MVP, Offensive and Defensive Players and Rookies, and Coach of the Year will be crowned.
George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a touchdown with Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter in the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 10, 2023, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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Whittle and Kittle will be among those on the judging panel for the award.
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Monday night’s game featuring hometown Miami and championship-starved Indiana is one of the toughest tickets in sports.
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