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The New York Jets got off to a hot start in free agency but have cooled off a bit the past few days as they’ve looked into potential trade targets ahead of the NFL draft.
After the recent news that Tyreek Hill chose the division rival Miami Dolphins over Gang Green, it’s easy to forget how productive of an offseason it’s been for Joe Douglas already. The Jets GM was able to fill several roster needs in free agency with young, team-friendly contracts spent on ascending talents.
One minor move that has been flying under the radar is the return of veteran backup Joe Flacco, who apparently, doubles as Zach Wilson’s work “dad.”
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‘Welcome Back, Dad’
New York Jets Twitter announced that Flacco had officially re-signed this morning on March 24, which inspired an unexpected reaction from the 22-year old gunslinger.
“Always helps to have an Elite QB in the locker room,” Wilson commented. “Welcome back, dad @JoeFlacco.”
The wisecrack from the BYU product actually has some truth to it, being that the 37-year old Super Bowl MVP has 15 years on Wilson. Theoretically, he could be his father, so why not refer to him as Dad?
This isn’t the first time that Wilson revealed the joke of a nickname on social media. On Flacco’s birthday on January 16, the youngster posted a photo of the pair on his Instagram story that was captioned: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD @JOEFLACCO.”
NYJ Matt shared the screenshot on Twitter, noting that “Zach Wilson confirms that Joe Flacco is his dad.”
At the time, the tweet went viral and maybe the social media savvy Wilson caught wind of it, reviving the nickname again on March 24. Flacco — who does have five children of his own — has yet to respond to his teammate’s jests publicly, although he did retweet the original post that finalized his return.
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Gang’s All Back Together
After the recent news that Mike White has agreed to sign his free-agent tender, head coach Robert Saleh’s dream has been realized. The quarterback room is running it back in 2022.
“It’d be perfect if we can get them all back,” Saleh told reporters at the end-of-year press conference. He added that he would be “vocal” about a Flacco reunion, in particular, explaining that the value of the veteran’s impact on the room was immeasurable.
“Bringing in [Flacco] — I know the outside world doesn’t see it — but Joe [Douglas] bringing in Flacco for that sixth-round pick, I don’t think anyone realizes how big of a deal that was,” he voiced. “Even for me, didn’t expect it to be the impact that I was expecting in terms of the assist in terms of developing [Wilson] and the room in general.”
This praise was a full 180 from Flacco’s first presser in New York, where the long-time Baltimore Ravens signal-caller voiced that he doesn’t “necessarily see veteran players as always being the best mentors” — including himself in that statement. The unnerving quote turned out to be more modest than arrogant in the end.
After all, the proof is in the pudding on this one. Just look at the major strides that Wilson took after the decision to acquire Flacco.
Upon his return from injury with Flacco by his side, the BYU talent disciplined his game more than anything. The “hero-ball” and unnecessary turnovers became a thing of the past and the decision-making changed right before our eyes.
With a full offseason learning from Mike LaFleur, Flacco, and his close friend White, who knows what Wilson can accomplish during his sophomore season.
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