When Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles in the New York Jets' season opener, the franchise opted against adding another quarterback who could come in and start. They instead crowned Zach Wilson QB1, the same quarterback who was benched last year due to poor play. Fast forward to Week 17, the Jets are 6-9 and have already been eliminated from playoff contention.
There was one veteran quarterback who waited a long time for a team to call this season, and once a team did, he rewarded them greatly. Joe Flacco is 3-1 as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns after Deshaun Watson was shut down for the season due to a shoulder injury. The Browns are one of three teams in the AFC that have reached double-digit victories, and they have a 99.9% chance to make the postseason, according to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh.
Flacco spent last season with the Jets, and started a total of four games for the club -- the first three games of the season, and the regular-season finale. Despite his familiarity with the franchise, the Jets did not give Flacco a call when Rodgers went down. This week, Flacco will play host to his former team in Cleveland.
Tuesday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters that there are no regrets about not reaching out to Flacco earlier in the year, per ESPN. Saleh called it an organizational decision. Flacco's 2022 campaign with the Jets was very much a mixed bag. He went 1-4 as the starter, but his one victory was pretty fantastic. In Week 2, against his future team in Cleveland, Flacco threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-30 victory. It's fair to wonder if that performance was a contributing factor to Flacco joining the Browns this season.
Flacco was also asked Tuesday about not getting a call from the Jets once Rodgers suffered his season-ending injury. He brushed off the question, saying he's happy about his current situation.
"Is what it is. Happy to be where I am for sure. Lots of guys in that locker room I respect," Flacco said, via The Athletic.
In four games this season, Flacco has thrown for 1,307 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. This past weekend against the Houston Texans, Flacco threw for 368 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He became the second quarterback in Browns franchise history to record three straight 300-yard passing games, and the first to throw for 300 yards in three straight wins. Flacco, 38, also became the third-oldest player in NFL history to record three straight 300-yard games.
