Joe Flacco had a dream 2023 season. From coming off the bench late in the year, to leading the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs, and then winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year, there’s no way in his wildest dreams he could’ve ever thought this was possible a year ago when nobody wanted the 38-year-old quarterback to be a stater or even backup on their team.
Flacco, who just turned 39, will be a hot name for a job this free-agent season. He was on NFL Sirus XM Radio last week and talked about how much he loved the Browns.
If all things are equal, it would be his preference to come back as a backup, meaning nobody else offers him a starting job, but the New England Patriots may’ve just told us their thoughts about maybe signing Flacco on Sunday.
Joe Flacco To The New England Patriots?
A report from Mark Daniels and Karen Guregian that the Patriots are rumored to target free-agent quarterbacks like Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, and Joe Flacco came out earlier last week.
On Sunday, the Patriots sent their former first-round pick, Mac Jones, to the Jacksonville Jaguars, leaving a starting quarterback spot open on their roster.
The Patriots have the third pick in the NFL Draft and will most likely select a quarterback at that spot, either North Carolina’s Drake Maye or LSU’s Jayden Daniels.
Flacco Will Help Out The Rookie
Whoever they select will probably need to sit for a bit to adapt to the NFL, and Flacco could be a great guy to sit behind. Flacco has a ton of experience in the league and has had a ton of success, even winning a Super Bowl, so he could come in and help the young rookie adapt to the next level.
New England should sign Flacco since he is 39 years old and probably only has a year or two left, and he’s not going to come in and try to be a long-term starter.
He will know his role come into play and guide the young rookie until he is ready. If the Patriots sign someone like Gardner Minshew, he is still very young and most likely wants to be a long-term starter in the league.
The right move would be for New England to call Flacco to be the starter until they are ready to turn the keys over to the rookie. At that point, Flacco could back up the young rookie and help him through his ups and downs as a starter in the league.