Joe Flacco Officially Named Jets Starter Vs. Ravens

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens will face a familiar face when they play the New York Jets in the regular-season opener on Sept. 11.

Joe Flacco was officially named the starter by coach Robert Saleh on Wednesday.

"Joe's a pro," Saleh said during training camp. "He's been there, he's done that. He's been a Super Bowl MVP, a world champion. He's gotten the big contracts. He checks about all the boxes you can check."

Zach Wilson is still recovering from a knee injury and will not be available until Week 4 against Pittsburgh.

Coach Saleh says that likely the earliest QB Zach Wilson will be available is Week 4 at Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/3buMD5xqTb
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 7, 2022

Flacco will face the Ravens for the first time since they traded him to Denver in 2019 in exchange for a fourth-round pick.

He will be only the third quarterback in league history to play a season opener against a team where he won a Super Bowl, according to ESPN. Also this season, Russell Wilson will start for the Broncos against the Seahawks. Peyton Manning played the Colts when he landed in Denver,

Flacco spent 11 seasons in Baltimore and owns almost every career statistic for a quarterback in Ravens history. He also led the team to three AFC Championship Games and had just one losing season.

"I probably thought about it a tiny bit," Flacco said about the potential start. "It's so far away and who knows what's going to happen at this point? But I definitely thought about it, and I'm like, 'Oh, yeah, it's not going to be a big deal,' but deep down I'm going to try and make sure it's not the biggest deal in the world, but I've been through it enough and seen guys go through it ... it's a different thing."

Flacco is best remembered for leading the Ravens to their second championship in the 2012-2013 season when he was named MVP of Super Bowl XLVII. Flacco, the 18th overall pick in the 2008 draft, led Baltimore to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons and went 10-5 as a starter in the postseason.

In 2019, Flacco suffered a hip injury in Week 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, opening the door for Lamar Jackson to take over the starter. Jackson never relinquished the job even when Flacco was cleared to play.

Flacco has beaten 30 of the 32 teams as a starting quarterback. The Ravens and Seahawks are the only ones he has not defeated.

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