Joe Flacco sent a clear message to the NFL that he is far from done as a starting quarterback, and Cleveland Browns fans and media responded with an immense show of confidence and support.Flacco was in the starting lineup just under a month ago, after being out the entire season up until that point, not because of injury, but because of a general lack of interest around of the league.
Now, just four games later, suggestions are popping up everywhere that the Browns are permanently moving on from Deshaun Watson in favor of Flacco. “Does anyone think the #Browns will be better off with Deshaun Watson at quarterback next season?” Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald and Morning-Journal wrote via Wins for the Browns, and asserted with insistence that he was part of the elite. And it’s hard to argue with the numbers. “Joe Flacco over last 3 weeks: 81/132 [passing], 1,053 yards, 8 touchdowns, 3 wins,” Barstool posted on X. “Elite.”The media asked Flacco about his performance after Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans, specifically throwing for 300 yards for the third straight game. “There’s probably a point in your career where you start thinking about these things, and obviously it’s funny when it happens,” Flacco said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “But right now, man, I’m so grateful to be in a position to win games. And so that’s the most important thing. It’s really a singular goal to try to win these games, and everything else is secondary.”Fantasy Points.“Deshaun Watson realizes Joe Flacco is better than him, but he still owes him $230 million,” Fantasy Points wrote. Others who took shots at Watson were a little less creative and a little more direct, but not necessarily less honest.“Joe Flacco is better than you @deshaunwatson,” Hood Ramey’s X account posted Sunday afternoon. Even some with ties to the Browns’ biggest rivals, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, insinuated Sunday that Cleveland should consider a permanent move from Flacco to Watson. “Joe Flacco takes the Browns to the playoffs,” 937TheFan’s Andrew Fillipponi wrote in Pittsburgh at X. “And Deshaun Watson takes them back to 7-10 next year.”Replacing Watson with Flacco won’t be the hardest sell if Cleveland, now 10-6, finishes the season strong and takes the Browns to some sort of playoff run after an 11- or 12-win season. The biggest issue is the aforementioned huge contract the franchise offered Watson despite all his time away from the game due to serious off-field issues involving dozens of sexual misconduct claims.Flacco has publicly stated that he wants to play as long as possible, and it is safe to assume that he wants a chance to start in 2024, after his strong performances this year. If the Browns are willing to give Flacco a legitimate shot at the starting job, he might be willing to return next season. However, the team will also have to offer him a significant contract, which is trickier due to how expensive the roster already is and how much money the team has already spent at the quarterback position. Regardless, both Flacco and the franchise are focused on making the most of the 2023 campaign. However, once this streak is over – and assuming Flacco continues to play at a high level – there will be some interesting conversations about the future of the location in Cleveland.
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