From a former Super Bowl MVP to a third-stringer on the bench. Life can come at you pretty fast in the NFL and that was indeed the case for New York Jets quarterback Joe Flacco.
Head coach Robert Saleh officially revealed the news at the podium following the team’s 22-17 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 8. Flacco is being demoted to third string and fan-favorite Mike White is now the QB2 for the rest of the season.
With Zach Wilson suffering a knee injury in the preseason, Flacco was forced to start the season’s first three games. Even when the former BYU passer returned to the lineup in Week 4, the elder statesmen slid back into his role as the primary backup for the next month.
However, something changed within the Jets’ thought process heading into the Patriots game as Flacco was shifted into a third-string role. We learned after the game that would be a permanent stay for Flacco through the rest of 2022.
Joe Flacco Reacts to Jets ‘Benching’
On Wednesday, November 2, Flacco had a chance to tell his side of the story when he met with the media.
“Of course, I was surprised. Like I kind of said decisions like this are made every day in the locker room about other positions. So, of course, I was surprised and disappointed about it but at the same time, I gotta keep it about the team and not try to be a selfish guy.”
Joe Flacco says he was “surprised” by being demoted to third-string quarterback:
“Of course I was surprised and I’m disappointed about it, but at the same time, I gotta keep it about the team and not try to be a selfish guy”
Flacco added that “there is some kind of reason for it, but I’m not sure it’s my job to understand it.”
I think all of us are trying to understand it because the whole thing was just weird. So Flacco was good enough to start for three games, then serve as the backup for a month, before you as an organization randomly decided to have Mike White as the second quarterback?
Just odd but now Flacco will become a healthy scratch on gameday and hopefully will still be able to share his wisdom and insight just from a spot deeper on the bench.
The veteran signed a one-year deal this offseason for $3.5 million and is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
Mike White Provides Some Pressure to Zach Wilson as Jets QB
Both Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were emphatic that Wilson is “their quarterback” and that won’t change this year outside of injury.
However, it’s hard not to read that news and then also hear the White promotion in the same presser and not think there is some connective tissue between the two items.
Saleh said the organization wanted to promote White to QB2 so he could start getting reps at that spot. He said if Wilson gets hurt they want to see what White has.
That is such a weird thing to say out loud, even if it’s true.
Of course, you’d rather see a developmental project who showed flashes in 2021 versus a 37-year-old quarterback who is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning.
However this announcement whether intentional or not now puts some pressure on Wilson. If he continues to struggle with the turnover monster it won’t take long before fans are once again chanting Mike White’s name at MetLife Stadium.
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Jets $3.5 Million Veteran Sounds off on Surprising Demotion