Despite being 38, Joe Flacco didn’t expect to wait until Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season before he signed with another team.
But after the Cleveland Browns added the former Super Bowl winner to their practice squad this week, Flacco admitted he was taken by surprise at just how long he sat on his couch waiting for a phone call.
“I have a lot of pride in myself,” Flacco told reporters on Wednesday. “I think (I was) very surprised, at least early on and throughout the course of the offseason. But as the season kind of goes along, I think the surprise turns into other things and you're not necessarily surprised anymore. This is my 16th year — you've seen a million things, so to be super surprised by something, you probably don't have your head in the right spot.”
Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson will make his third start of the year on Sunday against the Broncos. If Flacco were to start for the Browns during any of their six remaining games after that, he would be the fourth different starting QB Cleveland has used this year.
Joe Flacco, on how he sees his role in Cleveland: pic.twitter.com/XO6hhdtKTl
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) November 22, 2023
Flacco’s last appearance came on Jan. 8 of last season with the New York Jets in an 11-6 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 18, in which he completed just 54.6% of his passes for 149 yards. He actually began the 2022 season as the Jets starting QB before giving way to Zach Wilson in Week 4 after a 1-2 start.
Flacco hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2017, his next-to-last year with the Baltimore Ravens. Since he left the Ravens after the 2018 season, he’s had a one-year stint with the Denver Broncos in 2019 and a three-year run with Jets from 2020-22.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!