The Cleveland Browns may be looking to replace Joe Flacco as Deshaun Watson’s backup this offseason, and a former division rival QB is among the most likely candidates.

Toni Grossi of The Land on Demand and 850 ESPN Cleveland appeared on the Friday, February 16 edition of “The Really Big Show” on ESPN Radio to discuss the Browns’ backup quarterback options. The top player on his list was Mitch Trubisky, most recently of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who that team already released to allow him to get a jump on free agency.

“Mitch Trubisky as a backup potentially,” Grossi said. “First of all Trubisky was highly regarded by the Paul DePodesta and Andrew Berry regime when he came out of the draft. And also there’s the Ken Dorsey link. Trubisky went from Chicago to Buffalo as the backup, with Brian Daboll the coordinator at the time. Dorsey was the quarterbacks coach. I think Trubisky will be the candidate from Ken Dorsey.”

Mitch Trubisky Has Winning Record as NFL Starter

The Bears selected Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick in 2017. He started 50 games there across four seasons and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2018.

Trubisky spent one year in Buffalo with Dorsey as the backup to Josh Allen before landing in Pittsburgh in 2022. He appeared in 12 games for the Steelers over two seasons, starting seven of those contests and earning a record of 2-5.

During most of his time in Pittsburgh, Trubisky backed up quarterback Kenny Pickett. He took over for Pickett last season following an injury to the second-year QB, though head coach Mike Tomlin eventually replaced Trubisky with third-string signal-caller Mason Rudolph. That series of events ultimately led to Trubisky’s release earlier this month.

Over the course of his seven-year NFL career, Trubisky has thrown for 12,536 yards, 72 TDs, 48 INTs and earned a record of 31-26 as a starter, per Pro Football Reference.

Mitch Trubisky Won’t Be Necessary if Browns Bring Back Joe Flacco

That Grossi is even talking about Trubisky as an option isn’t great news for the Flacco supporters among Browns fans.

Flacco was 4-1 for Cleveland in the regular season and averaged well over 300 yards passing per game. His greatest liabilities were turnovers, specifically interceptions, of which he was responsible for 10 total across five regular-season starts and the Browns’ blowout playoff loss to the Houston Texans on Super Wildcard Weekend.

That said, Flacco found a kinship with his Browns teammates and the city. He has spoken fondly of his time in Cleveland and suggested that he will consider a return in 2024. However, Flacco has also made his intentions of playing two more seasons known, and he presumably wants a chance to start — or at least to compete for a starting job.

It is unclear whether he would get a real shot to do so in Cleveland, at least to start the year. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said just days after the Browns’ playoff exit that the team was entering the offseason with Watson as the starting quarterback. Watson should be back to full health well before the start of training camp this summer after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in November of last year.

Beyond that, Flacco’s price may have gone up significantly considering his late-season heroics. He played for Cleveland on just a $2.5 million deal in 2023, though that figure will presumably end up higher in 2024. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Trubisky signed a two-year extension worth $11.25 million in Pittsburgh in May 2023, and that number is likely to trend downward wherever he signs his next contract.