Joe Flacco Addresses Future with Browns After Loss to Texans
Joe Flacco was huge for the Cleveland Browns across five games to end the regular season, but came up short in the NFL’s playoff opener on Saturday, January 13.
The quarterback resurrected his career as a replacement for the cast of backups who attempted to fill in for Deshaun Watson after a shoulder injury ended his 2023 campaign. Flacco’s laser arm, play-action proficiency and locker room leadership left him poised to potentially usurp Watson to start the 2024 season with a playoff victory or two.
Those aspirations, however, may now have taken a back seat to Watson’s looming $64 million cap number after the Browns came up well short of a win on Super Wild Card Weekend. Cleveland fell to the Houston Texans by a score of 45-14, while Flacco was responsible for pick-six interceptions on back-to-back drives in the second half that broke the Browns’ collective back.
After the game, reporters questioned Flacco about his desire to go back to Cleveland the following season. The quarterback, who inked a one-year, $2.5 million contract to play out the 2023 season with the Browns, will become a free agency in March.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Flacco stated, “We’re dealing with so much right now just going through the emotions of this game and you know being so excited to be in this position and now to come up empty.” “I believe that’s where my mind is right now, just taking everything in and giving it some time to settle.”
Joe Flacco Makes Sense in Browns’ Locker Room, Either as Starter or Backup QB
On Saturday night, Flacco completed 34 of 46 passes for 307 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions (66.7% completion percentage).Compare his performance to his five regular-season starts, and it wasn’t all that unusual.
According to Pro Football Reference, the quarterback completed 60.3% of his 204 throws for 1,616, 13 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions throughout the season. Despite having two of his five starts result in multiple interceptions, he had a 4-1 record at the end of the season. The difference on Saturday was the 14 points and the loss of all momentum on the Browns’ sideline that both interceptions cost Cleveland.
Yet even despite the ugly way it ended, it is impossible to ignore the chemistry Flacco had with his teammates and the confidence he instilled in the locker room. Watson was a far cry from awful when he played this season, leading the team to a 5-1 record as a starter. That said, the aura of the team was different under Flacco, which is something for the organization to consider heading into next season.
The Browns also need to take Flacco’s anticipated cost into account. When it comes to getting Watson back in 2024 at his absurd contract amount, Cleveland is at a loss. However, there are significant doubts about Watson’s health and the quality of the players surrounding him on the team, which makes it more likely that Flacco will play next season.
Joe Flacco expresses gratitude for the Browns’ “Special” Playoff Run.
Although Flacco refrained from discussing his future following Saturday’s loss, the remarks he did make regarding his tenure with the organization suggest that Cleveland will be in the running for his services in 2024, should the team express interest.
“I was so fortunate to be part of this team,” Flacco said, per Scott Petrak of Browns Zone. “It’s special.”
Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP with the Baltimore Ravens, has said he wants to play two more seasons in the NFL. He turns 39 years old on Tuesday.
