Lloyd: Joe Flacco finally gets his paycheck. But he can’t return to the Browns next year
BEREA, Ohio – No one will feel sorry for Joe Flacco. He has won a Super Bowl MVP and has earned more than $175 million in his career. He wins in life.
And yet …
There’s just something about Flacco’s 16 years in the NFL that niggles at me as I watch this incredible renaissance of the final chapter. He was always good, always consistent in his prime, but never completely elite.
He never received a single MVP vote, but Carson Wentz, Derek Carr and Tony Romo did.
He never even appeared in a Pro Bowl. He was invited once, but passed because his wife was pregnant with their third child.
He was loved – and still is – by much of the Baltimore fan base, but he was always overshadowed by Hall of Famers like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. That Ravens defense typically still gets most of the credit for its Super Bowl ring.
That’s why what’s happening here is so absurd that no scriptwriter in the NFL or Hollywood could have made it sound plausible. A quarterback who hasn’t been very good with this kind of heater in a decade? Throwing for over 300 yards in three consecutive games for the first time in his career, leading the league in passing yards since becoming the Browns’ starter in Week 13 and also tying the league lead in touchdown passes in that time?
Drug testing for everyone.
Flacco is now getting all the honors, just weeks shy of his 39th birthday. He has quickly captured the attention and admiration of a city once divided by Deshaun Watson’s dealings.
NFL leaders since Week 13:
Passing yards:
1. Joe Flacco 1,307
2. Jake Browning 1,288
3. Brock Purdy 1,179Passing TDs:
1t. Joe Flacco10
1t. Brock Purdy 10
1t. Matthew Stafford 10— Dan Murphy (@DMurph_BrownsPR) December 26, 2023
He’s once again surrounded by an excellent defense, but no one here outside of Myles Garrett is in gold right now. Here Flacco is the same as always. He is the adult, the professional who just quietly goes about his business. There is no drama, no cloud of controversy. He just shows up, does his job and fulfills his obligations every day.
Now, in the twilight of his career, in a city that hates everything related to the Baltimore Ravens, Flacco has stolen the heart of a city desperate for someone to love. This is Rocky being cheered in Russia or Jeter receiving a standing ovation in Boston.
‘The city was incredible. I can’t say enough about how welcoming everyone has been,” Flacco said Tuesday. “I’ve been from Baltimore for most of my career… It’s definitely been a little surreal in terms of how people have treated me here.”
If this is his career victory lap, Flacco should take his time getting around the track. Embrace it all. No matter how this turns out, he’s already done enough to always be a Cleveland folk hero. He will once again be welcomed and cheered here the way the crowd roars for Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson at Cavs games and for Rajai Davis at Guardians games. Without even playing in a postseason game, he has exceeded expectations in part because there weren’t any when he arrived. His three wins in four matches here matches the total of his last four years as an NFL starter.
Since leaving Baltimore, Flacco was 3-14 in 17 NFL starts in Denver and New York. He is 3-1 in Cleveland.
Make it meaningful.
With the Jets coming to town on Thursday night and Flacco having also played in Cleveland, New York managers are likely eager to know more about how they’ve handled this season following Aaron Rodgers’ torn Achilles tendon. The Jets and Browns started the year with similar rosters and expectations. Both were playoff contenders in a crowded AFC and both lost their quarterbacks early. The Jets collapsed and the Browns thrived.
When they signed Flacco, I thought rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson should remain the starter. Based on his record and numbers since leaving Baltimore, and the fact that no team called him through the first twelve weeks of the season, Flacco seemed like nothing more than the emergency option for a team that has been on the phone with 911 for a while sat. season.
Then Thompson-Robinson suffered a concussion in Denver and Flacco immediately started exceeding everyone’s expectations to the point where he’s overdone his job. It’s hard to imagine how the Browns could bring him back next year. Do they really want to award three spots on the 53-man roster to quarterbacks? Do they want to give Flacco a few million in salary when every dollar in their cap counts?
This is Watson’s team. His rock-solid contract makes it so, and thankfully the last memory we have, after a few bumpy stretches, was of him going 14-for-14 in the second half (with a broken shoulder) to beat a Ravens team that looks like the best in the second half. the competition today. Watson remains the last quarterback to beat Baltimore and he did it on the road.
Thompson-Robinson was called up as a long-term backup behind Watson. None of that has changed. Flacco’s presence here next year can only risk dividing the locker room as Watson struggles for the first time. For a quarterback who is about 40 years old, it’s just not worth it. The sequel is never better than the original. Whether Flacco wants to play again next year or not is up to him to decide, but it can’t be in Cleveland.
So enjoy it for what it is: a remarkable story, the best in the NFL right now. And a highly respected veteran who gets what he deserves.
The Browns caught a Hurricane in a handbasket. Hold on tight and enjoy the ride, no matter where the wind blows.
When it’s over, it’s really over.
(Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images)