Mike Tomlin fires at Browns GM after Joe Flacco trade: ‘Andrew Perry has to be smarter than me’

Count Mike Tomlin was among those surprised that the Cleveland Browns shipped quarterback Joe Flacco to a division rival in desperate need of help.

Flacco was dealt a 2026 sixth-round draft pick to the Cincinnati Bengals last week for a fifth-round draft pick in 2026. After Joe Burrow went down, Jake Browning showed he wasn’t the answer to the Bengals’ quarterback problem.

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However, why Browns general manager Andrew Berry thought making such a deal within the division was a good idea has been puzzling.

“To be honest, it was shocking to me,” the Pittsburgh Steelers coach said Monday. “Andrew Perry has to be smarter than him or us because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think is enough to be an opening day starter against a divisional opponent who is hurting in that area.

“But that’s just my personal feeling.”

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The Browns, with rookie Dillon Gabriel as their new starting quarterback, fell to 1-5 after a 23-9 defeat at the hands of Tomlin and the Steelers in Week 6. Meanwhile, the Bengals battled against the Green Bay Packers, but ultimately fell by a score of 27-18. Flacco would go 29-for-45 with 219 yards and two touchdowns in his debut in Cincinnati.

When asked for his thoughts on what Tomlin said, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t bite, saying, “I have no comment on that.”

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While Tomlin was confused by Brown’s end of the deal, he said it makes sense on the Bengals’ part and expects the “smart” Flacco to be “much better” with more time to learn the offense before the Steelers’ Week 7 game Thursday night in Cincinnati.