Cleveland Browns Week 1 Starting QB Odds

The Cleveland Browns exit the 2025 NFL Draft with five quarterbacks but no sure-fire starter.

After last season's Week 1 starter, Deshaun Watson, aggravated his torn Achilles injury this offseason, the Browns acquired veteran Joe Flacco and 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett before selecting Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 draft.

Flacco went 2-4 in six starts for the Indianapolis Colts last season after replacing Anthony Richardson as starter, Pickett was the backup to Philadelphia Eagles title game MVP-winning QB Jalen Hurts, Gabriel led the Oregon Ducks to the Big Ten Championship, and Sanders led the Colorado Buffaloes to a 9-4 record and an Alamo Bowl appearance.

Let's take a look at the odds to be the Browns' Week 1 starter in the 2025 season. This market can be found under 'Team Starting QB - Week 1' in the NFL Futures section.

Cleveland Browns Starting QB - Week 1 Odds

Joe Flacco	+160
Kenny Pickett	+160
Shedeur Sanders	+350
Dillon Gabriel	+1000
Deshaun Watson	+2200

Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett — the two QBs on the Browns roster who are both healthy and have NFL experience — are the co-favorites (+160) to be the Week 1 starter for the Cleveland Browns.

In eight games, six of which were starts, for the Colts last season, Flacco completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 1,761 yards and a 12-7 TD-INT ratio. In 2023, he became a Browns fan favorite by leading the team to a 4-1 record as a starter after Deshaun Watson got injured, and he posted a 60.3 completion percentage, 1,616 yards, and a 13-8 TD-INT ratio.

Pickett spent two seasons as the starting QB for the Pittsburgh Steelers before he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent last season as a backup. He went 7-5 in each of his two seasons as a starter, and across his 24 starts with the Steelers, he posted a 62.6 completion rate, 4,474 yards, and a 13-13 TD-INT ratio.

Shedeur Sanders (+350) is next in the market to open the season as the Browns' starter. At Colorado last season, he posted a Division I-best 74.0 completion percentage along with 4,134 yards and a 37-10 TD-INT ratio in 13 games, leading his team to a 9-4 record.

Dillon Gabriel (+1000) is the fourth-favorite to be the Browns' Week 1 starter. The 2024 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year completed 72.9 percent of his passes for 3,857 yards and a 30-6 TD-INT ratio. His team went 13-1, won the Big Ten Championship, and earned a College Football Playoff berth.

Last in the odds to be Cleveland's Week 1 starter is last year's opening day QB, Deshaun Watson (+2200). It would take something of a medical miracle for him to open the season under center, as he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 7 last season and reportedly re-tore it in the offseason.

Watson still has two seasons left on his huge contract that he signed before the 2022 season, but due to void years added in the multiple contract restructures he agreed to with the team, he'll get paid through at least 2029. He's also set for a cap hit of over $80 million in 2026, but some sources say he has already played his last snap for the Browns.

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Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.