The Cleveland Browns inked quarterback Joe Flacco to a potentially lucrative one-year deal on Thursday, securing his spot on the active roster for the rest of the season.
But Flacco would like to play next season as well, which he expressed shortly after his new deal was confirmed.
“I know I want to play,” Flacco said on Thursday, December 14 when asked if he needs to wait until January to see what next year holds. “Me wanting to play is not in question.”
The deal for Flacco could become a lucrative one. He’ll make $75,000 per win the rest of the regular season and it’s laced with other incentives that could make him $4.05 million. All those incentives are based on winning, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“Should Cleveland advance to the postseason, Flacco would make $250,000 for a wild-card win, $500,000 for a divisional-playoff win, $1 million for an AFC Championship game win and $2 million for a Super Bowl win,” Schefter reported. “The deal expires after this season when, once again, Flacco will be a free agent.”
The Browns will have to see how he fits into next year’s plans after the season is over. Deshaun Watson — the Browns’ $230 million investment at QB — is expected to be ready for the start of the year after a season-ending shoulder injury. Cleveland has also made it clear they want to develop rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson as a future option.
If Flacco leads the injury-riddled Browns to the postseason and wins games, it’d be hard not to bring back the 38-year-old QB, at least as a capable backup option.
Joe Flacco’s Agency Announces Deal With Browns
Getty ImagesJoe Flacco of the Cleveland Browns and David Njoku celebrate a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Flacco was initially signed to the practice squad and had been elevated twice to start for the Browns. Cleveland named him the starter for the rest of the season after Sunday’s win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was only a matter of time before Flacco was signed to the 53-man roster.
The deal was initially announced by Flacco’s agency, JL Sports, on social media.
“Congrats to our client, Joe Flacco, on signing with the Browns on a one-year deal,” the tweet read.
The move eliminates any scuttlebutt about another team signing him off the practice squad, which became a storyline this week. Flacco has thrown 89 passes through his first two games, totaling 565 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. The Browns are 1-1 in his two starts
Joe Flacco Wants to Play as Long as Possible
Getty ImagesJoe Flacco has quickly earned the respect of his Browns’ teammates.
Flacco’s career was nearly over before the Browns came calling in November. He sat at home without a team for nearly three months. Now that he’s back and playing well, Flacco wants to maximize the opportunity.
“I love the game,” Flacco told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “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.”
Flacco will look to notch his second win with the Browns on Sunday when the 5-8 Chicago Bears come to town.
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Browns QB Joe Flacco Sends Message on Future After Lucrative New Deal