Joe Flacco will have a chance to start in a playoff game for the first time since a Ravens-Patriots divisional-round matchup nine years ago. This improbable development already had the 38-year-old quarterback planning to suit up in 2024; this stunning re-emergence also looks to be pointing the QB toward an age-40 season.

Considering Flacco was out of football from the time his most recent Jets contract expired in March until a Browns search — in the wake of Deshaun Watson‘s season-ending injury — led to a free agency addition, it is borderline shocking the former Ravens mainstay will be suiting up at all in a playoff game. But he now has designs on playing through the 2025 season, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes.

It should be considered a bit early to guarantee Flacco — a backup from 2020-22 after suffering injuries in 2018 and ’19 — can be a viable option through an age-40 season. Several passers have reached that point throughout NFL history. Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Vinny Testaverde operated as regular starters past 40 this century, while Josh McCown, Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Brunell, Brad Johnson, Doug Flutie and Warren Moon played into their 40s since 2000. Aaron Rodgers turned 40 last month but saw his comeback from Achilles surgery fall short; the Jets QB is signed through 2024 and joins Flacco in aiming to play through 2025.

Going on a 4-1 march with Flacco as their starter, the Browns are interested in having Flacco back for his age-39 season. With Watson coming back, that would be an interesting dynamic. While Flacco has impressed as a fill-in starter, teams have viewed him as a backup since a neck injury ended his Broncos season in 2019. Flacco signed to back up Sam Darnold in 2020 and agreed to be the Eagles’ QB2 behind Jalen Hurts in 2021, being traded back to the Jets to play behind Zach Wilson.

No one was especially interested in Flacco this year, but he has probably changed that conversation for 2024. Injuries to starters across the league could result in clubs placing a higher priority on backups come March, and Flacco will join the likes of Darnold, Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew, Jacoby Brissett, Tyrod Taylor and Marcus Mariota among possible bridge or QB2 options who could fare decently in free agency. Breer estimates Flacco could command around $10MM per year, particularly if a team authorizes a two-year contract. He played for $1.5MM in 2020 and $3.5MM in each of the past two years.

If Flacco’s price creeps toward the eight-figure-AAV range, it is conceivable the Browns would pass due to the Watson commitment. Flacco did decline offers to join other teams’ 53-man rosters while on Cleveland’s practice squad, prioritizing fit at this stage of his career. It will be interesting to see how the 16th-year veteran’s market looks come March; his postseason start will help determine what kind of offers come in for a player essentially discarded last year.

The Browns placing an aging quarterback behind an injury-riddled offensive line certainly injects risk into their equation, but the defense-powered team has won two of its three games with Joe Flacco at the helm. A string of developments have commenced during this span.

After playing his first two Browns games as a practice squad elevation, Flacco signed an incentive-laden deal to join the team’s 53-man roster. He rebuffed offers to sign with other teams while on Cleveland’s P-squad and, despite not landing a 2023 gig until November, is interested in playing a 17th NFL season in 2024. The Browns may give the former Ravens mainstay that opportunity.

The team obviously remains tied to Deshaun Watson as its starter, but Outkick.com’s Armando Salguero notes it has held internal discussions on a deal that would keep Flacco in Cleveland for the ’24 season. Flacco, who will turn 39 next month, has signed multiple contracts to be a backup during the 2020s. Although Watson’s fully guaranteed deal all but guarantees he will be Cleveland’s Week 1 starter next year, it would seem likely Flacco would be amenable — given his comments about his current situation so far — to coming back as a backup.

While Flacco has not been flawless since coming back, he has delivered surprising work to keep the Browns in place as the AFC’s top wild-card team. The 9-5 squad has benefited tremendously from the recent Jets backup, who at points resided as Gang Green’s third-stringer last season. Flacco has thrown seven touchdown passes and accumulated 939 passing yards (7.1 per attempt) with the Browns. He has only completed 57.9% of his passes, throwing five interceptions. But he showed a clear improvement on what the Browns possessed beyond Watson this season, upgrading on P.J. Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson — to the point Kevin Stefanski named the veteran his rest-of-season starter after his second start.

Thompson-Robinson’s rookie contract runs through 2026, but a Flacco re-signing would effectively move the fifth-round rookie to the developmental track. Thompson-Robinson has struggled this season, despite being given the QB2 role following the Browns’ Josh Dobbs trade in August. Watson’s troublesome throwing shoulder may well prompt Cleveland to be better prepared in terms of depth next season.

Another Watson restructure may well happen, as the team’s 2023 reworking has the starter’s 2024 cap number set to skyrocket to a record-shattering $63.97MM number. Despite early success, Flacco would be unlikely to command more than midlevel backup money in 2024. He would seemingly still fit in the Browns’ plans if attached to a full-season contract. A number of younger QB2 options will be available in March, but the early returns of Flacco’s fit in Stefanski’s offense have already led to the team considering a multiyear partnership.

Joe Flacco‘s Browns stay has doubled as a late-career re-emergence. The 16th-year veteran, despite spending more than half the season out of the NFL, has given the Browns a solid option amid the team’s difficult season at the quarterback position.

To start Flacco’s tenure, the Browns parked him on their practice squad. They kept the ex-Ravens mainstay there in Week 12, when Dorian Thompson-Robinson and P.J. Walker played during a loss to the Broncos, but changed up their starting lineup once again a week later. Flacco has started the past three Browns games, but only one of those — Week 15 against the Bears — came with the former Super Bowl MVP a part of Cleveland’s 53-man roster.

Amid their spree of QB transactions since trading for Deshaun Watson, the Browns made Flacco a gameday elevation ahead of games against the Rams and Jaguars. During a season featuring a number of significant quarterback injuries, Flacco’s agent said (via NBC Sports’ Peter King) two or three teams attempted to sign his client off Cleveland’s practice squad.

The Browns signed Flacco to their 53-man roster last week, giving him some incentives based on regular-season and postseason wins. Flacco cashed in a $75K incentive for leading the Browns to a comeback win over the Bears. Upon being signed to the Browns’ 53-man roster, Flacco confirmed he was not interested in leaving. Players can be poached from other teams’ P-squads, with the club that signs the player forced to keep him on the active roster for three weeks. But P-squad cogs can also decline such overtures, as Broncos P-squad QB Ben DiNucci did when the Saints extended an active-roster offer earlier this season.

Flacco seeking stability makes sense. After his Ravens run ended via a 2019 trade to the Broncos, he has been in a number of offensive systems. The Delaware alum left the Jets for the Eagles in 2021, but after Gardner Minshew became available in trades that summer, Philadelphia made Flacco expendable. When Flacco returned to the Jets via an in-season trade, a new OC — Mike LaFleur — was in charge. Flacco reached out about returning to the Jets, who had transitioned to Nathaniel Hackett as their play-caller, this year but did not generate interest from his former team. It is not known if the Jets, amid another run of QB struggles, reached out to Flacco while he was on the Browns’ taxi squad.

Since expressing interest in playing next season, Flacco has perhaps generated his most momentum since his Baltimore days. He is 2-1 as the Browns’ starter, piloting the team to wins despite a depleted offensive line. The Browns do not exactly have a top-tier QB situation right now, but the 9-5 team is on solid ground in a crowded AFC wild-card race thanks largely to Flacco.

We discussed the money aspect of new Browns’ starting quarterback Joe Flacco‘s one-year contract with Cleveland a couple days ago. Now, let’s take a look at the length of Flacco’s newest deal. According to Flacco’s agent, Joe Linta, Flacco is only on a one-year deal in order to maximize his leverage in free agency so that he can play next year, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

To reiterate, Flacco’s contract is an incentive-laden one that can earn him as much as $4.05MM. A lot of the cash is tied into wins. For the regular season, Flacco is making an additional $75K for each win, while that price escalates with each round of the postseason. And, while Flacco is certainly focused on going 1-0 each week, that isn’t stopping him from also considering his future. You read that last paragraph correctly, Flacco, at 38 years old, has every intention of playing in the 2024 season.

Now, there are a couple of teams starting quarterbacks on expiring contracts. The Vikings have Kirk Cousins playing on a contract year, and Baker Mayfield is on a one-year tryout with the Buccaneers. Minnesota hasn’t loved what they’ve gotten out of Joshua Dobbs so far and likely won’t be looking to Nick Mullens as the quarterback of the future. Tampa Bay has another year on former second-round pick Kyle Trask‘s rookie deal but chose Mayfield to take over under center this season. Realistically, these teams with an opening at starter are likely going to be pursuing options coming out of college with more long-term potential. But, if either team doesn’t fall in love with anyone at their range of picks, Flacco could serve as an effective one-year rental.

More realistically, there are a number of team’s who have been forced to rely on backup quarterbacks this season, and some of those quarterbacks are on expiring deals, as well. The Titans seem set to move forward with rookie second-round pick Will Levis and don’t seem to have much faith in Malik Willis moving forward, while Ryan Tannehill‘s deal is set to expire. Other teams with young starters whose backups are bound for free agency are the Commanders (Jacoby Brissett), Eagles (Marcus Mariota), 49ers (Sam Darnold), and Colts (Gardner Minshew). Other teams who have been forced to face the importance of a backup quarterback despite having established starters this year are the Seahawks and Saints, and both Drew Lock and Jameis Winston are in contract-years, as well.

Many of those teams will likely re-sign their respective backups to another one-year deal. If one or another puts forth a strong outing in relief, they may even earn themselves a multi-year contract. Familiarity is a big factor in the decision of appointing a backup quarterback, so those who are already with a team will have an advantage. Regardless, any of these squads may see what Flacco is doing in Cleveland and decide that he is an upgrade over what they currently have on the roster.

Seeing what we’re seeing from Flacco right now, it’s insane to think that some teams in the NFL were fully content with what they had on the roster. After injuries to (or benchings of) quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Daniel Jones, Jimmy Garoppolo, Matthew Stafford, and Cousins, we saw many teams attempt to make it work with what they had on the roster while Flacco’s agent, Linta, was furiously calling these front offices and banging the table for his quarterback, according to Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post.

In an interview, Linta even admits to begging Jets general manager Joe Douglas to give his guy a shot. “I really couldn’t get anyone at the top to give him a shot,” Linta said of his efforts. “I begged (Douglas). I mean, Joe played pretty well for (the Jets in 2022), but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t get anything going. Nothing.”

Eventually, though, the Browns answered the call, bringing in Flacco to keep their playoff hopes alive and potentially save their season. Despite throwing three picks today, Flacco showed the cool composure of a 16-year veteran, leading the Browns to another win. If he keeps this up, he will almost certainly earn himself another chance to play in 2024. Flacco may be the next on a relatively short list of quarterbacks to play into their forties.

The Browns checked off one box regarding their new quarterback plan Thursday, making an active-roster deal official with Joe Flacco. But the contract does not profile as a prorated veteran-minimum accord.

Flacco, whom the Browns named the starter for the season’s remainder, agreed to a one-year deal. The 38-year-old passer will officially join Cleveland’s 53-man roster; he had spent the past two games as a gameday elevation from the practice squad. Considering Flacco’s new status, this move was expected. But the Browns will dangle come additional carrots for their fourth QB1 this season.

[RELATED: Browns QB Transactions Since 2022]

This contract can max out at $4.05MM, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, with Browns wins being the driver here. The team included language that will lead to Flacco collecting $75K for each Browns victory over the final four regular-season games. If the Browns are to advance to the postseason, Flacco would have a chance to make more money. A wild-card win would produce a $250K Flacco payment, per Schefter, who adds a divisional-round win would provide him with an additional $500K.

The Browns have not won a divisional-round game since the original franchise defeated the Bills in a 1989 shootout. Neither Browns franchise has won a conference championship game (post-merger, that is), but Schefter adds Flacco would receive $1MM for Cleveland winning the AFC title and $2MM for a Super Bowl LVIII conquest.

Flacco said he is not aware of any other team attempting to sign him off the Browns’ practice squad. Considering the form he has shown in Kevin Stefanski‘s offense early, the 16th-year veteran said (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot) he would not have gone elsewhere had another team called. After two games, the Browns saw enough to end any debate regarding Flacco or Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the starter.

While playoff success has been scarce for the Browns since they rebooted in 1999, the team sits in the top wild-card spot presently. At 8-5, Cleveland is a game up on a sextet of 7-6 teams jockeying for postseason position. Despite the Browns playing with backup tackles and a backup running back, Flacco stepped in and played well in his two starts. The Browns will be without Dawand Jones and Jedrick Wills the rest of the way, with the fourth-year left tackle undergoing knee surgery that will keep him from coming off IR later this season. Flacco will nevertheless attempt to keep this damaged car on the road over the final four regular-season games.

In the wake of his second straight impressive showing, Joe Flacco is in line to remain in the No. 1 quarterback role moving forward. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced after today’s contest that Flacco will be the team’s starter for the remainder of the season.

Deshaun Watson was in line to serve as Cleveland’s full-time starter, and he began to show promise for the first time since his arrival with the team (via a massive trade haul and a fully guaranteed, $230MM contract) midway through the season. Lingering shoulder issues ultimately led to Watson being shut down after undergoing season-ending surgery last month, however, leaving a vacancy for the Browns to fill.

Fifth-round rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson was in line to move up to the starter’s role in place of Watson. The former impressed during training camp and the preseason, and he saw one start early in the season (in place of P.J. Walker). Thompson-Robinson did not play well in that contest, though he did get the nod for consecutive starts in November: a win over the Steelers followed by a loss to the Broncos.

The UCLA product missed Week 13 due to a concussion, which paved the way for Flacco to see his first start not long after having signed with the Browns. The former Super Bowl MVP had an encouraging start to that game, a loss to the Rams. Flacco’s overall numbers (23-of-44 for 254 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) left plenty to be desired, but he delivered a stronger performance on Sunday.

Flacco posted 311 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while going 26-for-45 in a win over the Jaguars in Week 14. As a result of his strong play, it comes as no surprise that Stefanski and Co. have elected to keep the 38-year-old atop the depth chart as the team’s playoff push continues. Cleveland has now won a game with four different QBs this year, a fact made even more impressive considering the season-ending knee injury star running back Nick Chubb suffered early in the campaign. Flacco had been a gameday practice squad elevation, but today’s news confirms he will be signed to the active roster in the near future.

After seeing his Jets tenure come to an end this offseason, Flacco expressed an interest in continuing his career despite his age and a 1-8 record as a starter in New York. The longtime Ravens starter has managed to impress this year, though, and he now has the opportunity to lead his new team to a postseason position. Sitting at 8-5, the Browns are part of a logjam in the AFC’s wild-card picture, but continued strong play from under center could not only boost Flacco’s free agent prospects but also Cleveland’s chances of making an unexpected playoff appearance.