After 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Joe Flacco’s future is uncertain. He took over starting quarterback duties as a rookie with the Ravens in 2008 and guided them to the AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also led the Ravens to two more AFC Championship games and won Super Bowl XLVII against the 49ers. Any football fan would agree he’s had a very solid career. Now, for the first time in his career, his team is headed to the playoffs where he is taking on the role as back-up.

After an injury that sidelined him in November, Lamar Jackson took over and played well enough to convince coach John Harbaugh to continue playing him now that Flacco is healed and able to return to action. In my opinion, it’s a preposterous move to keep Flacco on the sideline heading into the playoffs. The man has had a lot of success in the playoffs throughout his career. According to ESPN.com, in Flacco’s last ten playoff games, he’s thrown 24 touchdowns and just four interceptions with a 104.1 passer rating. He also has the postseason record for throwing at least two touchdowns in eight straight playoff games. And like I’ve already mentioned, he’s won a Super Bowl! So without a doubt, it’s absurd that his playoff experience and success will be wasted tomorrow when they take on the hungry Los Angeles Chargers. It is pretty much a consensus that Flacco and the Ravens will part ways after the season, ending his long tenure with the team. But where will he end up?

With his accomplishments, there will be several teams interested in Joe Flacco this offseason. All three Florida teams should be in on Flacco. Even though Tampa Bay already named Jameis Winston the starter for next year, that could very well change if they were to sign Joe Flacco. With the tumultuous career that Jameis Winston has had, it’s ridiculous to already give him the keys to the offense next season. The Jaguars appear to be over Blake Bortles at this point. Even though I don’t believe he is as bad as so many people make him out to be, the Jaguars will inevitably look to get someone else under center for next year. The Miami Dolphins have stuck with Ryan Tannehill for a while now, seemingly waiting on him to grow into their expectations. But he never really has. He is average at best and I believe has hit his peak. The Bills would be another good fit as all they’ve really got is Josh Allen. The jury is still out on Allen, but if he could sit and learn under Flacco, it could be beneficial to all parties. The same can be said with the Cardinals and rookie Josh Rosen. And lastly, the Denver Broncos. The Case Keenum experiment needs to come to an end, as he is a back-up at best. The Broncos are not a bad team, even though they finished rough, but with a quarterback like Flacco, it could push them over the edge and back into the playoffs.

We will have to wait and see what happens this offseason. It’s always fun to see where certain players end up, especially quarterbacks. If I had to make a prediction right now, I’d go with the Denver Broncos. They have the best chance to win (out of the teams mentioned) and have a lot of history with a great fan base. At this point, all Flacco could ask for is to have a chance to start somewhere with a decent chance at winning.

Garett

What’s Next for Joe Flacco?