Joe Flacco expressed his gratitude for his spot with the Colts and expressed some surprise that he was not re-signed by the Browns.

The past six months have seen some very unexpected turns in Joe Flacco’s NFL career.

Initially, he boarded a plane for Cleveland, where he would transform from an elderly man living on the couch to the fiery captain of a Browns squad that qualified for the postseason. Subsequently, he found himself back on the sofa during an offseason that was prompted by a resounding defeat to Houston during Super Wild Card Weekend.

He is currently at Indianapolis, where he will support Anthony Richardson, a second-year passer. Even though he was named the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year, this was the biggest break he could have gotten.

It is still superior to lounging on the couch.

The 39-year-old Flacco discussed his free agency, which resulted in his signing with the Colts being formally revealed on Friday. “It was obviously a little bit different than last offseason, when I didn’t get any calls at all,” Flacco said. “However, I wasn’t really sure how this offseason would proceed. Although I didn’t play a lot of games the previous year or anything, I am still appreciative that Indianapolis reached out and offered this chance.”

Flacco wants nothing more than another opportunity to play football. During his tenure with the Browns, he not only rekindled his passion for the game but also shown his ability to perform well.

QB Joe Flacco and the Colts reach a $8.7 million, one-year contract agreement.
While Joe Flacco acknowledges that he would love to play for the Browns again, he still wants a “chance to play” in 2024. QB Joe Flacco obtains an AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award for 2023

The Colts learned the value of having a dependable backup after being forced to play alongside Gardner Minshew for the majority of 2023 before he signed a two-year, $25 million contract with the Raiders. And they found Flacco to be appealing.

Flacco signed with Indianapolis with the understanding that he would not be able to contend for a starting position in 2024. However, as he discovered in 2023, it doesn’t follow that he won’t see the field eventually.

Flacco should ideally never play for Indianapolis unless it’s in the midst of a blowout victory. Nonetheless, he will still be valuable because of what he can give Richardson.

“Listen, I’ve been kind of in this role for a handful of years now,” Flacco, who will be starting his 17th season, remarked in reference to supporting Richardson. “Obviously, last year was a little bit different since I could come in and play relatively soon because I wasn’t anywhere. However, it’s really just about being in the same room as him, and when you spend a lot of time together, talks tend to automatically flow. I think it’s simply a matter of bringing in the expertise and being able to assist him in making things simple so he can play quickly and make the most of his skill set.”

After a fantastic time with the Browns, Flacco had expressed his desire to return to Cleveland, so he admitted he was “a little bit” shocked he hadn’t ended up there. Though it’s undeniable that Flacco didn’t exactly match the quarterback archetype that the Browns were looking for. He was supposed to be an emergency stopgap, but instead he ended up filling Cleveland’s entire fractured dam long enough to make it to the postseason.

Now, all he’s happy about is that he can still work in the NFL, especially considering how little he heard at this time last year. Flacco is prepared to accept whatever outcome arises.

“When you have something that you love to do and you enjoy putting in the work and all that, I don’t know too many people that would give that up to try to go do something else or figure out what else that may be,” Flacco stated. “What else could that be, I’m not sure. We’ll work that out one day. However, I’m not really ready to sort of go figure out what else I might enjoy doing, especially since I’ll still have the chance to do what I enjoy doing. I’m sure that having five children at home also kind of forces me to return here and complete those tasks.”