3 trade destinations for Joe Flacco if the Colts decide to move on

The Indianapolis Colts signed Joe Flacco in free agency and the move made sense. The team wanted to ensure that Anthony Richardson had a solid backup after Gardner Minshew signed with the Raiders. Flacco hadn't signed with anyone at this time a year ago because many people thought he was washed up but he went on to help lead the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs.

Flacco has value right now as a backup quarterback, which might not be the case for much longer. This would be the time to trade Flacco if the Colts had even a slight interest in doing so, says Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report.

"Still, the Colts seem to be hedging their bet so they can still push toward the postseason if Richardson gets dinged again. What they really should be doing is going all in with Richardson. He's the guy. The offense is built around his unique physical gifts, which Flacco basically falls on the opposite side of the spectrum. If another team wants to give Flacco one more run to see what it can do, the Colts can maximize trade value and add $3.5 million more to next year's rollover cap."

If another team panicked whether it's because they don't have a solid solution at the most important position in the sport or they need a better backup, what's to stop them from ringing up the Colts front office and inquiring about Flacco? If this were to happen, let's look at three teams that could make sense as a landing spot for the 16-year veteran.

Let me reiterate that it doesn't feel as though the Colts will trade Flacco. They brought him to Indianapolis this offseason for a reason and that was to be a steady and dependable backup to Anthony Richardson (even though Kirk Herbstreit thinks that the Colts will have a quarterback controversy this season)

When the Bleacher Report article was published, however, I thought it might be fun to dive into some potential landing spots for the former Delaware quarterback.

Green Bay Packers

There might not be a worse backup quarterback situation than what the Packers offense is looking at in Green Bay. Fortunately for them, Jordan Love looks to be a stud but if he goes down, the options the Packers have for their QB2 spot as of this writing is Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt, neither of whom looked good in the preseason.

Flacco would give the Packers a much better backup option should Love get hurt and he likely wouldn't break the bank either. Don't expect the Packers to go this route but it wouldn't be the craziest scenario.

Minnesota Vikings

Sticking in the NFC North, the Vikings were dealt a horrific blow when it was announced that first-round rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy would miss the entirety of the 2024 season with an injury. The Vikings will now be starting Sam Darnold and if history repeats itself, Vikings fans are in for a long year.

It could make sense for Minnesota to look into adding a more stable option at quarterback like Flacco. They could still let Darnold try to be the guy and if he struggles, let Flacco take over and see if he's able to bring some of that magic back from his 2023 campaign with the Browns.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders don't have a great situation at quarterback entering the 2024 season. While former Colt Gardner Minshew won the starting gig, Colts fans know all too well that he's not going to lead a team where they aspire to go. Aidan O'Connell was also fighting for the starting job and despite starting 10 games for the Raiders in 2023, he was passed over for the job.

Flacco landing in Las Vegas would make things even more interesting in that quarterback room and he could probably win the job over the other two guys. The Raiders probably aren't going to trade for Flacco though considering they have two quarterbacks already and if anything will probably look to draft one in the 2025 draft.

Still, if the Raiders decide they want to make a playoff run in 2024, Flacco is better equipped to help them do that than the other two guys they have on the roster.