THE Cleveland Browns are starting to make decisions surrounding their new quarterback room.
The Browns now roster five quarterbacks, and they are going to have to find out quickly which ones are going to stay on the team.
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Cleveland has made their first quarterback decision, by taking a look at Kenny Pickett’s contract.
The Browns traded for Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles after he served as their backup during the Super Bowl run.
Right now, he is in line to be the team’s starting quarterback, but he isn’t getting long-term support from them.
The Browns decided to decline Pickett’s fifth-year option, meaning this year will be the final year of his rookie deal.
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That opens up an opportunity for a guy like Shedeur Sanders, who was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Browns, to step up into the starting role next year, or even at some point this year.
Pickett intends on being the starter by the time Week 1 of the season rolls around.
“That’s the plan, man. I’m not going there to hang out,” he told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Jerry DiPaola.
“I want to go play. I’m excited, been working hard for it, taking it a day at a time.
“I’m really excited just to get there and get back to competing, get back to playing.
“Meeting new people, meeting my new teammates, building those relationships.”
Pickett does have competition from three other quarterbacks to win the starting job though.
Deshaun Watson is out of the picture, as he will likely spend the entire year out with an injury.
Outside of him, Joe Flacco, Dylan Gabriel, and Sanders will compete with Pickett for the starting quarterback job.
In all likelihood, one of those four quarterbacks will be off the roster by the time the season starts.
It’s hard to pick out which one of them will end up on the chopping block though.
NFL important dates 2025 season
March 12 – Free Agency begins
April 24-26 – NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin
September 4 – 2025 season opener (TBC vs Eagles)
November 27 – Thanksgiving Day triple header
January 4, 2026 – End of regular-season
February 8, 2026 – Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
The Browns invested draft capital into Pickett and will likely use him as their starter at least at the start of the season.
Flacco is a good veteran presence in the QB room and has won games for the Browns in the past.
Cleveland picked Gabriel in the third round of the draft, two rounds ahead of Sanders.
It is entirely possible that Sanders finds himself off the Browns’ roster by the start of the NFL season.
There is still a ton of offseason left to go, so the situation should get ironed out in time.