Barring injury, the Cleveland Browns have found their starter for the remainder of the regular season in Joe Flacco, who made clear his intentions for the future over the weekend.
Flacco spoke with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk following Cleveland’s home win over the AFC South Division-leading Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, December 10. The QB noted his plans for the future during that conversation, which Florio reported via his podcast on Monday.
“He’s got the rest of his life to do whatever he’s gonna do, and that’s what he said. ‘I got the rest of my life to do something other than play football. I’m gonna play football as long as I can,'” Florio relayed to co-host Chris Simms.
Joe Flacco Wants to Stay in Cleveland for Remainder of Year, Despite Other Options
GettyQuarterback Joe Flacco of the Cleveland Browns.
Flacco’s reversion to the practice squad Monday following his first win as the Browns’ starter opened up an opportunity for the quarterback to jump ship and sign with any NFL team he wanted. However, media reports and head coach Kevin Stefanski reassured the Dawg Pound that no such thing will occur.
“I’d say don’t worry about it,” Stefanski said Monday. “Because it’ll all work out. I wouldn’t be hung up on this one.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter also reported Flacco’s intentions to remain with the Browns via a post on X, the social media website formerly known as Twitter.
“Joe Flacco has reverted back to the Browns’ practice squad and, at the same [time], he also is now eligible to sign with another team’s active roster,” Schefter wrote Monday. “Despite any interest, Flacco wants to remain in Cleveland.”
One team that might have made sense for Flacco is the Minnesota Vikings, who are switching from Josh Dobbs to Nick Mullens ahead of Week 15. The Vikings will join the Browns as one of the few NFL teams to start four quarterbacks this season when Mullens takes the field Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
All Joe Flacco’s Wins in NFL Over Past 4 Seasons Have Come in Cleveland
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco warms up before an NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It makes sense that the 38-year-old Flacco wants to play out the rest of this season in Cleveland, and perhaps the remainder of his professional career.
Not only did the Browns give Flacco the chance to play in the NFL again and then named him the starter for the rest of 2023 after two games, but Cleveland is also the only place Flacco has recorded any wins as a starter over the past four seasons.
Flacco spent the previous three years as a member of the New York Jets. He started nine games over that span, going 1-8. His one victory came in Cleveland in Week 2 of last season. The quarterback is now 1-1 as the Browns’ starter in 2023 and has games coming up against the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Jets and Bengals to finish the year.
Flacco played his first 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, where he won a Super Bowl MVP following the 2012 campaign, and then had a one-year stint with the Denver Broncos before landing in New York. He is 49-of-89 for 565 yards, 5 TDs and 2 INTs for the Browns in 2023, per Pro Football Reference.
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Joe Flacco Sends Clear Message on Future with Browns, NFL