Ex-Browns CEO Slams Joe Flacco Trade: ‘Makes No Sense’ Amid Heated Gabriel vs. Sanders Debate

There’s not much excitement in Cleveland, Ohio, these days. The mayoral campaigns are over, the sky is gray, the weather is turning cold, and the Cleveland Browns seem to be as far away from a playoff win as they have ever been.

It certainly doesn’t help that Joe Flacco is averaging 313.5 passing yards and nearly three touchdown passes a game since they decided to trade him to Cincinnati, either. Things are so bad, in fact, that their former CEO, Joe Banner, couldn’t help but exclaim “

oh god,” and roll his eyes after Rich Eisen bothered to ask him about his current thoughts on the team.

“I think they are trying to end up with as high a pick as they can, and trading Flacco, which doesn’t make any sense to me. Trading

Flacco, I know they were upset when they traded Flacco inside of the division, but why wouldn’t they? That means they lose another game when they play them,” Banner outlined.

According to Banner, you can expect Cleveland to once again have possession of a top-five draft pick come springtime. That itself may not be surprising, but the former team executive did somewhat surprisingly predict that they may be drafting yet another quarterback in 2026 as well.

Even though Banner believes that the front office is “doing the right thing” by taking their time with both of their rookie signal callers in Dillon Gabriel and

Shedeur Sanders, he doesn’t necessarily have much faith in either of them long term. As it turns out, Banner is much more concerned about the future of the offensive line rather than the quarterback room.

“I don’t think either of them has what it takes, in my opinion… They could lose all five of their offensive linemen at the end of the season if they decide that they are not good enough. They just had a draft that, at least in Cleveland, was covered as a great draft, without picking one offensive lineman, even at the end of the draft, to possibly develop. I just don’t understand. That’s just a way off-base team building philosophy,

” Banner added, giving a subtle criticism of the Browns’ strategies. Notably, Shedeur is yet to play a game, and Dillon has not made his opportunities count, with his best performance being a 215-yard game.

Unfortunately, head-scratching decisions have become the norm in Cleveland. Whether it’s having five quarterbacks on the roster or shelling out large contracts to questionable figures, there are plenty of things to point to when trying to determine where exactly the Browns went wrong.

Nevertheless, it’s going to be a while before any of those issues are resolved, as the front office seems to be more focused on raising ticket costs and stadium planning rather than fielding a palatable product for its fans and attendees.

Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Prediction Puts Gabriel on Notice Ahead of Jets Clash

The Cleveland Browns may soon look to Shedeur Sanders as their version of Brock Purdy, with Dillon Gabriel running out of time to prove he’s the long-term solution.

Brock Purdy was famously “Mr. Irrelevant” as the final pick of the 2022 draft, yet he seized his moment and quickly became the 49ers’ starting quarterback — giving San Francisco a low-cost, high-upside option at the NFL’s most valuable position. Purdy recently cashed in with a $265 million extension after playing on a four-year, $3.7 million rookie deal.

The Browns, meanwhile, are still feeling the strain of Deshaun Watson’s $230 million fully guaranteed deal, along with big-money contracts for stars like Myles Garrett. As Zac Jackson of The Athletic noted, Sanders — on a four-year, $4.6 million rookie contract — could offer Cleveland a much-needed path toward financial flexibility while developing a potential franchise quarterback on an affordable deal.

“The way out of this is for Shedeur Sanders to be Brock Purdy,” Jackson said on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. “He comes out of nowhere and makes no money. That’s the only way out of it.”

BREAKING: Horrible Daniel Jones News: "Huge Loss for the Colts"

The Indianapolis Colts' hopes of making a deep playoff run have just taken a major blow. After a strong start to the 2025 season, quarterback

Daniel Jones and the Colts' offense are now faced with even more pressure, thanks to a devastating loss on the defensive side of the ball.

As the Colts prepare for their

Week 10 international matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin, the team has confirmed that DeForest Buckner, one of their most crucial defensive players, will not travel with the team due to a neck injury. The Colts will be without their defensive leader for the first time this season, and the timing couldn’t be worse.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke the news on Thursday:

"Colts DE DeForest Buckner (neck) will not travel with the team to Berlin and is out for Sunday’s game."

This is a massive loss for Indianapolis, whose defense has already struggled at times this season. Buckner has been the backbone of the defense, and without him, the Colts' already shaky defense will be put to the ultimate test against a Falcons team that has its own set of problems but remains dangerous.

The loss of Buckner means even more weight will fall on Daniel Jones and the Colts’ offense. After securing the starting job in the offseason over rookie Anthony Richardson, Jones has been having a career year, leading the Colts to the highest-scoring offense in the league. However, with Buckner out and the defense left exposed, it could be a challenge for Jones to keep the Colts competitive.

Fans on social media reacted quickly to the news:

“Whoa! This is a huge loss for the Colts defense,” one fan tweeted.
“Certainly helps the Falcons, who might be decimated at guard,” another added.

As the Colts aim to secure their 8th win of the season, all eyes will be on Jones to see if he can carry this team to victory under even more pressure than before. Will he lead the Colts to success without Buckner? Or will this injury derail their playoff aspirations?

Stay tuned for more updates as the Colts face off against the Falcons in this high-stakes international game.

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