Joe Flacco Passes A Milestone In Browns Win On Sunday
38-year-old Joe Flacco had a special day on Sunday. With the Browns' win over the Jaguars, he became just the third quarterback in the modern era to have 10 or more wins at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The others? Ben Roethlisberger and Baker Mayfield.
But that wasn’t his biggest accomplishment of the day.
The Browns' 31-27 victory over the Jaguars marked Flacco's 100th career NFL win, etching his name into an elite club.
Flacco's career has been an amazing story from start to finish. The 6-foot-6 quarterback began his college career at the University of Pittsburgh where for two seasons he was never able to crack the starting lineup.
He then transferred to the University of Delaware where he set 20 school records. He put together a good enough collegiate career that the Baltimore Ravens selected Flacco with the 18th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He went on to play 11 seasons and win a Super Bowl for the Ravens.
Dec 10, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) throws a pass during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
In 2019, the Ravens moved on from Flacco and traded him to the Denver Broncos to get his career back on track. His first year in Denver didn't go so well and he suffered a season-ending neck injury. He eventually failed his physical and was sent off into free agency.
His free agency led him to sign a contract in 2020 with the New York Jets. He signed in New York with his primary role being a mentor to a young Zach Wilson. He did not see the field much and was eventually cut in 2022.
Flacco stayed in shape in the preseason and early in the 2023 campaign just in case a team came calling.
For 11 weeks, the phone never rang.
Yet, he continued to keep his arm loose by playing catch with his brother in the backyard.
Then, Cleveland suffered its fourth quarterback injury to Deshaun Watson that would put him on the shelf for the remainder of the year. The Browns wisely made the call to Flacco.
Flacco was in a Browns sweatshirt at Mile High Stadium when Dorian Thompson-Robinson suffered a concussion and the Browns fell mercifully to the Denver Broncos.
It was Flacco's time in Cleveland. Since his first start, he has been special. He is 49-for-99 with 565 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Good enough for a 1-1 record.
I laid out this journey because it was never a straight line for Flacco. His good years were followed by tough years. He was replaced by a young superstar by the team who drafted him, he suffered a career-altering injury and never regained form.
That was until Cleveland. Joe Flacco looks like he is having fun playing football again and we sure are having fun watching him.
No matter what happened in his journey, no one can take away the fact that he is one of 19 quarterbacks to have 100 career wins. An amazing story with the end still to be written.
