Flacco’s Browns Exit Delivers the Season’s Best Turn
Flacco’s opening segment is great.
The Corvette he received after winning Super Bowl XLVII is covered in dust, and he cannot find the keys. His Super Bowl MVP trophy is neglected after spending more than a decade at his father’s house.
Netflix shared video of the trophy scene, capturing the dry delivery that runs through Flacco’s storyline.
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The humor carries into Cleveland’s crowded quarterback room. Flacco needles Shedeur Sanders over his mirrored visor and argues that quarterbacks who wear them care more about looking good than seeing clearly.
The situation deteriorates once the season begins. Flacco struggles, loses the starting job to Dillon Gabriel and watches Cleveland’s game in London from the sideline.
The benching also affects the family he left behind in New Jersey. Dana is shown managing the schedules of their five children while Flacco lives alone in Cleveland.
She traveled to Cleveland after the benching. On Tuesday morning, after Flacco returned from London, he noticed that he had missed a call from Browns general manager Andrew Berry.
Flacco initially thought Cleveland might be preparing to release him. Instead, Berry told him the Bengals were considering a trade and asked how he felt about the possibility.
Dana’s face immediately changed. A move to Cincinnati gave Flacco another chance to start while Joe Burrow recovered from a turf toe injury.
“You could see the smile on her face,” Flacco said.
The couple called their children, who initially thought their parents were lying. Cincinnati then sent two drivers to Cleveland. One drove Flacco and Dana to Cincinnati while the other transported his car.
“I get to throw to two of the best receivers on the planet, so let’s go,” Flacco said.
Flacco’s Bengals Opportunity Comes With Little Preparation
The trade gives Flacco the opportunity he wanted, but almost no time to prepare.
He arrives five days before his first start and has to learn a new offense while building timing with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Flacco loses his Cincinnati debut, then throws for 342 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers four days later.
His six-game run does not save Cincinnati’s season.
Burrow eventually returns, sending Flacco back to the role he had tried to escape in Cleveland.
That ending does not diminish the trade scene.
“Quarterback” captures the uncertainty to make Flacco’s midseason move the series’ quite compelling turn.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Flacco Relives Up and Downs in Netflix’s NFL Series