Getty Quarterback Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings talks with head coach Kevin O'Connell during their game against the Green Bay Packers in October 2023.
The Minnesota Vikings were a trade-deadline target for Joe Flacco last October and are considered a candidate to pursue the Super Bowl veteran quarterback in free agency if Kirk Cousins leaves next week.
ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi entertained the prospects of Flacco returning to the Cleveland Browns after leading Cleveland to an improbable playoff appearance, winning four of his five starts to close the season.
While Browns fans would revel in having Flacco return as a backup behind Deshaun Watson next season, Grossi pumped the brakes on Flacco, who would take a starting job after showing he’s still a capable starter after 16 years in the league.
“I believe Flacco would come back to the Browns unless he finds a better opportunity to play elsewhere. Where might that be? I’m watching Minnesota. If the Vikings aren’t able to re-sign Kirk Cousins, I think they’d be interested in Flacco,” Grossi wrote in a fan mailbag segment, adding that the Vikings inquired about signing Flacco off the practice squad before he was elevated as the team’s starter in December.
“They were one of the teams that inquired about Flacco while Flacco was on the Browns’ practice squad But Flacco didn’t want to leave the Browns at the time and they eventually signed him to their regular roster.”
Vikings Ignored Flacco’s Calls at Trade Deadline
Getty ImagesJoe Flacco
The Vikings’ interest in Flacco likely came after the Josh Dobbs ride came crashing down in December. Dobbs won his first two starts for the Vikings before turning the ball over six times in back-to-back losses before the team’s Week 13 bye.
Flacco likely saw his opening to start after Dorian Thompson-Robinson suffered a concussion in Week 12, prompting him to decline the Vikings’ offer to sign him off the Browns practice squad.
But Flacco had previous interest in the Vikings.
According to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, Flacco reached out to the Vikings after Cousins went down with a season-ending Achilles injury on October 29, expressing his interest in joining the team.
“He wanted to be here,” Wolfson said of Flacco in an X (formerly Twitter) post on December 28. “Vikings received that message before October 29 turned into October 30. They weren’t interested.”
The Vikings’ decision to trade for a younger option in Dobbs made sense given Flacco had a 1-9 record as a starter since 2020. However, it proved to benefit the Browns.
Flacco was the fourth quarterback to start for the Browns last season after he was elevated from the practice squad for a Week 13 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Despite a 36-19 loss in Los Angeles, it was the start of a career renaissance for the 39-year-old.
He went on to win five four straight games, averaging 340.5 yards passing and throwing 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions en route to a playoff berth.
Vikings Can Compete With Browns’ Projected Offer for Flacco
GettyGeneral manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Minnesota Vikings.
If Cousins does move on from Minnesota, Flacco could be an ideal bridge veteran and mentor for a first-round rookie quarterback.
Once mocked for saying he was the best quarterback in the NFL, Flacco bet on himself, declining an extension from the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 offseason with the belief he could improve and garner a better deal. Flacco went on to win Super Bowl 42, claimed Super Bowl MVP honors and a six-year $120 million extension.
Flacco’s value to a quarterback room even approaching 40 years old cannot be quantified — but the Browns may have a number in mind.
Spotrac projected Flacco to garner a two-year, $12 million deal from the Browns under the stipulation that he is a backup.
The Vikings would have to offer more than $6 million a year, however, Flacco hasn’t garnered an average annual earnings north of $3.5 million since Flacco’s market isn’t nearly as strong as other bridge veteran starters available in free agency.