The Indianapolis Colts have been searching for a long-term quarterback for several years now. The team thought they had taken one in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft in the person of Anthony Richardson, but so far, Richardson has been a failure. So much so that in 2024, he had to be replaced by a nearly 40-year-old veteran.
Joe Flacco signed a one-year deal with the Colts last offseason and was expected to be Richardson's backup. Instead, Richardson got injured early (of course), and Flacco stepped in and was better.
The team didn't necessarily win more games with Flacco, and he was far from perfect, but at least Indy knew what they were going to get. In fact, Indianapolis would have probably been better off financially re-signing Flacco instead of adding Daniel Jones for as much as $10 million more.
Indianapolis Colts might wish they had Joe Flacco back
Flacco is now back with the Cleveland Browns, the team he played with in 2023. He has been named Cleveland's QB1 for Week 1, and two rookies will back him up. Presumed starter Deshaun Watson is out for a long time after tearing his Achilles tendon late last season. (And he's been awful for the Browns.)
The issue for Flacco is that he probably is unable to elevate an offense that isn't very good to begin with. At this point, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are likely unable to do that either, but if all things are even, the Browns might want to see what they have in Gabriel and Sanders.
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Cleveland is in a tough division and could finish last. The Browns have a brutal start to their season. If they lose to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 and Joe Flacco is not good, Cleveland could be starting Gabriel or Sanders in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts will start Daniel Jones over Anthony Richardson and hope for the best. There is no guarantee that Jones will be better than Flacco was in 2024 when Flacco threw 12 touchdown passes and seven interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 90.5.
Jones has a career quarterback rating of 84.3, and only one season out of six with a higher one than what Flacco had for the Colts in 2024. Flacco shouldn't be a starter in the NFL anymore, but Jones never should have. Let's hope Indy choosing Jones over Flacco works out for the best.