Joe Flacco Breaks Silence on Returning to Browns

Joe Flacco would like to play again next season, but it remains to be seen if that will be for the Cleveland Browns.

Joe Flacco made a rare podcast appearance this week to talk about the Cleveland Browns and offer some insight into his future. Flacco joined Big Cat and the PFT commentator on the Pardon My Take podcast on Jan. 18 and had nothing but good things to say about his time with the Browns.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be on a team that’s ready to play like that and to have so many great players in the locker room,” Flacco said. “It was special to go there and see how people treated me. I felt so much love and so did my family. … I could feel the excitement of the city. “They want to win the playoffs and get to the Super Bowl.”

Flacco sparked the Browns’ offense, which went 4-1 while passing for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions during the regular season. His play helped the injury-ravaged Browns make their first playoff appearance since 2020.

But the positive story of the season came to an abrupt halt in the postseason. Flacco threw six costly picks against the Houston Texans in a 45-14 wild card blowout.

Getty Images Joe Flacco made the Browns pay dearly in their wild-card loss to the Texans. Flacco, 39, isn’t ready for a wild card loss to be the end of his story. He said he wants to keep playing and just wants the opportunity. “I know I still want to play. But it’s just a matter of getting the opportunity to do it,” Flacco said on the podcast. “You don’t know if it’s going to happen or what it’s going to look like, but it gave me a new drive to go back and do it.

Flacco spent the first few months of the season on the bench, throwing to keep his family in shape. Despite injuries to players around the league, his phone wasn’t ringing every time, but Flacco didn’t care. In the end, the Browns call turned out to be the right opportunity at the right time. “it’s tough. I think we’ll see a lot if we’re in the league. It all doesn’t make sense,” Flacco said, adding that he didn’t get the chance until mid-November. “I finally got the call and it was great, so it’s hard to think about the missed calls. “You want to be in a good situation with good football players and good coaches. I think they’re there.”

Flacco’s play sparked a brief QB controversy in Cleveland. He shut down the Browns offense and put some pressure on Cleveland’s $230 million quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Watson threw for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions in two seasons with the Browns. He played a total of 12 matches. His last campaign was marred by a shoulder injury. Watson had surgery Nov. 21 to repair a fractured glenoid in his right shoulder, but is expected to be ready for the start of camp next season.

This year has shown that the Browns need a reliable option to back up Watson. Fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson has potential but still needs time to develop. Watson would benefit from having Flacco as his backup for another year. Kevin Stefanski praised Flacco, but wasn’t ready to talk about his quarterback situation going forward.

Stefanski said on Jan. 14, “I’m going to leave everything this offseason to general manager Andrew Berry.” “Let me say this about Joe. Joe was a great guy for this football team. He gave a great performance and fought like crazy. I know he enjoyed it. I have a lot of respect for Joe and what he’s been able to do.

Several players have said they want Flacco back. However, Flacco may be looking for a starting position. That won’t happen in Cleveland, where Watson is expected to return.

J. R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He covered local and national sports as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and has decades of experience in digital media, previously working at SB Nation and Bleacher Report. He has won many state, local and Republican awards for sports reporting and photography. J. R. Additional information about volumes