ESPN Cleveland radio host blasts Browns' Andrew Berry for Joe Flacco trade

Matt Sullivan

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ESPN Cleveland radio host blasts Browns' Andrew Berry for Joe Flacco trade image

Before Week 6 of the NFL season, the Cleveland Browns made a strange decision to trade Joe Flacco to the division rival Cincinnati Bengals. Trading within the division was rare enough, but to send a quarterback to a rival is an even stranger move.

Flacco didn't do a lot in his first week in Cincinnati, but against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football, in primetime, Flacco and the Bengals beat the Steelers in an incredible game that was back and forth, featuring a game-winning field goal drive by Flacco.

The morning after that game, Tony Rizzo on ESPN Cleveland radio went on a lengthy rant against Browns general manager Andrew Berry and owner Jimmy Haslam, criticizing both for their roles in the Browns becoming a "joke" thanks in part to the Joe Flacco trade.

ESPN Cleveland radio host blasts Browns organization after Joe Flacco led the Bengals to a comeback win

"How could you do that, Andrew. How could you do it!" Rizzo said. "Why on earth did you feel the need to trade this guy to a division opponent for a fifth-round draft pick? Fireable offense! That is a fireable offense!"

Berry sent Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Bengals to land a 2026 fifth-round pick. Moving up one round in the draft, and in the process, giving a division rival a new starting quarterback.

When that quarterback leads a game-winning drive in front of a primetime audience, it looks even worse for the Browns' front office. Rizzo laid into Berry, and he's only just getting started.

"I want to know how much longer the owner is going to watch this crap," Rizzo said. "Because the fans have had it. They deserve better. You just worry more about your stadium than you are your football team. That's the perception, Jimmy."

Rizzo went from criticizing Berry for trading Flacco to the Bengals to calling out the owner, Jimmy Haslam, for his role in letting the team get to this point. Cleveland is one of the worst teams in the league, and they have been since moving on from Baker Mayfield.

"And you allow these people to do this; you have the worst offense in the league, your GM screwed this quarterback thing up like I've never seen. In my life, I've never seen anything like it." Rizzo said. "Kids that play Madden coulda' done a better job. Truly, that's not hyperbole. It's a joke. It's a joke, this franchise has become a joke."

Since 2012, when Haslam took over as principal owner of the Browns, they are 74-143, with two playoff appearances to show for it. They lost in the divisional round with Mayfield, then, after moving on from him, they made it back in 2023 with, ironically, Joe Flacco.

More: Mike Tomlin's comments on Joe Flacco trade: How Steelers coach took shot at Browns GM for deal with Bengals

While the Browns have been mired in mediocrity, the owner hasn't done enough to help get the team over the edge. The Deshaun Watson trade set the team back for a while, as the draft capital they lost is still hurting them in a big way to this day.

Add on the massive contract for Watson, the success of Mayfield, and now the success of Flacco, the Browns organization looks wrong at nearly every turn when it comes to the most important position on a football team.

Dillon Gabriel has struggled to begin his NFL career, and Shedeur Sanders sitting on the bench is drawing a lot of unwanted attention. Rizzo's blasting of the Browns GM and owner is something that's been built up throughout the last few years.

Cleveland is 1-5, and they might've traded the best quarterback on the roster to a division rival, which could lead to that team making an incredible playoff run if all goes right.

Even Mike Tomlin was questioning what Berry was doing with the Flacco trade. Even though Pittsburgh lost on Thursday night, a lot of attention is now on the Browns, as their decision to send Flacco for very little in return might've bolstered the Bengals into playoff consideration.

Rizzo isn't the only Browns fan or media member to feel this way, but his public lambasting of Haslam and Berry shows just how fed up he and other Browns fans are with the organization's direction in recent years.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.