The Cleveland Browns and quarterback Joe Flacco are in the midst of something unprecedented. Flacco, who has started the last two games for Cleveland, is technically a free agent as he reverted to the team’s practice squad following their 31-27 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14.
Any team can sign Flacco to a deal as he isn’t under contract with the Browns. That would certainly make for an awkward situation, as head coach Kevin Stefanski named Flacco the starter for the remainder of the season on Monday despite him technically not being on the team.
“I’m hearing that first here,” Flacco said by phone last night when Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk asked for his reaction to being given the starting role. “Listen, just so grateful to have the opportunity a couple weeks ago. And you never know where things are going to take you. And we don’t know what lies ahead at this point either. But man, it’s been a blast. It’s been so much fun to be back out in that field.”
NFL News & Rumors: Joe Flacco, Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns Updates
While offers may be presented from other teams in need of a quarterback, Flacco isn’t planning on going anywhere. He wants to play for the Browns and they very clearly want to keep him in the mix.
Many people in Flacco’s position would have ridden off into the sunset years ago. Twice during his career, he signed a contract that made him the highest-paid player in the NFL and he was MVP of Super Bowl XLVII. But, he is motivated by two factors to stick around; his love of the game and his family.
“I love the game,” he said. “That’s the first reason. And the second reason is I have a lot of people around me that allow me to believe in myself. I still feel like I can play the game, so that’s the main thing is, you know, I feel like I owe it to myself. I put in all this work. I’m 38 years old. I got the rest of my life ahead of me, hopefully, and you know, I’m going to play football as long as I can. It’s a special thing. And like I said, I think the biggest thing with that is that I have people around me that also believe me and that want me to do it. They also believe I can do it, should do it. I think I’m obviously very fortunate because of that.”
“My kids are a huge driver,” Flacco said. “I don’t know if . . . I can describe how special it is to be able to play meaningful games in front of my children at the ages that they are. I’m going to remember this forever. You know, they probably will too. But, ultimately, I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life and I think it’s just such a unique experience. You know, my parents have obviously always been there and pushing me along, not allowing me to give up in certain situations.”
NFL News & Rumors: Joe Flacco, Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns Updates
It has been a wild ride for Flacco, who played decently well in stints for the New York Jets over the last three seasons. But, when they acquired Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers, there was no longer room on the roster for him.
When Rodgers went down with an injury, Flacco would have made sense as an option, but the Jets opted to go with Zach Wilson and signed Tim Boyle to be his backup. Now 5-8 after defeating the Houston Texans in Week 14, New York likely regrets not calling Flacco, especially with how he has looked in Cleveland.
The Browns are certainly happy about how things have turned out, as Flacco will be their starter for the remainder of the season. In two starts he has played well, throwing for 565 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions, helping get the team’s offense on track.
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