The quick switch by the Cleveland Browns from Joe Flacco to Jameis Winston caused many in the NFL, including Flacco, to snicker.
Ultimately, Flacco signed with the Indianapolis Colts, where he would back up second-year starter Anthony Richardson as quarterback. On Friday, March 22, the team held Flacco’s inaugural press conference in Indianapolis. A reporter inquired about the quarterback’s astonishment at not going back to Cleveland after leading the team to the playoffs the previous season.
According to Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star, Flacco said, “Probably a little bit.”
Joe Flacco Is Not New to Sudden Exits Like the One He Just Had From ClevelandÂ
As Erickson noted in his X article, Flacco was sincere rather than resentful in his response.
“Flacco claims he’s been in the game long enough to comprehend and be aware of the fact that things change annually,” Erickson wrote.
For Flacco, the former MVP of the Super Bowl, the events of this offseason in Cleveland were nothing new.
When Flacco had a hip injury in 2018, the year that now-two-time regular season MVP Lamar Jackson made his rookie debut, the Baltimore Ravens promptly moved on from Flacco. Flacco, who ended up signing with the Denver Broncos the next season and never starting another game in Baltimore, was replaced by Jackson.
In 2019, Flacco started eight games for Colorado before the team made the decision to let him go. After making an impression on the New York Jets in 2020, the quarterback spent the following three seasons there as a backup and spot starter.
Flacco was unemployed last season after the Jets failed to contact him until November, when Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury forced the Browns to make an approach. Flacco’s opportunity in Cleveland was brought about by injuries and subpar performance from players such as youngster Dorian Thompson-Robinson and PJ Walker, which he fully capitalized on.
Flacco helped the Browns secure the No. 5 seed and top Wildcard position in the AFC, finishing the season with a 4-1 record. During his six starts for the team, including the team’s playoff humiliation at the hands of the Houston Texans, he averaged over 300 throwing yards per game.
