The Cleveland Browns probably didn’t expect Joe Flacco would be this good when they added him to the roster just one day after their Week-11 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, no one around the league did, save for perhaps Flacco himself.
Cleveland’s QB and regular-season savior spoke to a group of reporters on Friday, January 5, one of whom asked Flacco for his thoughts on why he was still available to the Browns so late in the season given his long track record of NFL success. Flacco’s response marked perhaps the first time he has spoken on the record with an edge regarding the lack of belief in his abilities around the league.
“People probably already kind of assume they know who I am and they’re like, ‘Okay, yeah, maybe he could help us. But really could he?’” Flacco said, per Scott Petrak of Browns Zone. “They maybe just had an idea of who I was. And maybe it’s not quite correct, if you ask me.”
Joe Flacco Reached Out to Vikings About QB Job Before Signing with Browns
Flacco’s resumé in total is essentially unassailable.
At one time the NFL’s highest-paid player via a $120.6 million contract signed in March 2013, Flacco has started 185 regular-season games over the course of his 16-year career, amassing 103 victories along the way. He has won twice as may playoff games as he’s lost (10-5) and claimed the Super Bowl MVP Award following the 2012 campaign with the Baltimore Ravens.
That said, Flacco never earned Pro-Bowl honors in his career and served as a backup with the New York Jets for the last three seasons (1-8 as the starter) before finding himself unemployed to begin the 2023 campaign. Flacco reached out to the Minnesota Vikings after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon in late October, but the organization wasn’t interested.
Minnesota instead traded with the Arizona Cardinals for Josh Dobbs, who went 2-2 for the Vikings before the team benched him and turned to backup Nick Mullens and then fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall. Minnesota finished the season 7-10, while Flacco ended the year with 1,616 yards, 13 TDs, 8 INTs and a 4-1 record for the playoff-bound Browns.
Joe Flacco’s Success Has Complicated the Future of Browns QB Deshaun Watson
The Vikings may number among the suitors for Flacco in free agency come March, as the quarterback’s $2.5 million contract runs out as soon as Cleveland’s luck does this postseason. The Browns may also bid for Flacco’s services considering how well he has played down the stretch.
The starting job only opened up for Flacco because Deshaun Watson required surgery to repair an injured shoulder. Watson figures to return to good health by the start of the 2024 campaign, which could cause a QB controversy in Cleveland — especially if the Browns win a game or two in the playoffs.
The team is a 2.5-point favorite over the AFC South Division champion Houston Texans on the road this Saturday, per Draft Kings Sportsbook, and bested the Texans by a score of 36-22 in Houston in Week 16.
Watson will enter the third season of his five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns in 2024. The team fully-guaranteed that deal, which carries a cap hit of nearly $64 million in each of the next three campaigns. As such, Watson’s contract adds a financial complication to bringing Flacco back to Cleveland next season.
However, the edge Flacco just let loose in his tone about the rest of the league undervaluing him for much of 2023 may manifest in the QB seeking a contract that reflects all he accomplished this year, and that won’t be cheap. He also figures to seek a chance to win a starting job.
Both of those stipulations could cause problems for the Browns, who are tethered to Watson for three more seasons whether they like it or not and are currently $13 million in the red with regards to next year’s salary cap.
