Joe Flacco Return?
It’s hard to see quarterback Joe Flacco returning to back up Joe Burrow next season. Flacco, who turns 41 in 10 days, loves Burrow, Taylor and the scheme. But he wants to play.
But…. He also indicated he’ll be more selective heading into year 19.
“For the last five, six years of my career, I don’t want to say ‘Quick,’ but I definitely looked at a lot of situations as a good opportunity,” Flacco said. “If a certain situation is actually a good opportunity, I’m probably at the point I had hoped there would be maybe something in my mind if I didn’t really love it, I would be able to say no.”
Taylor is hoping he just says, “No,” and comes back.
“I would hope that he’s back. But I would also respect him at the same time that he’s got to make decisions for himself,” Taylor said. “I think it’d be valuable. I think he’s a starting quarterback in the NFL. I think anytime you’ve experienced that and you’re able to get him back, that’d be great.
“I know that he enjoyed his time here. I think it was good for all of us to get to know each other. And we’ll see what his future holds for him. He’s got to make that decision. He’s earned that as an old man. He’s earned the right to decide what he wants to do. But I do know that he wants to keep playing. And I appreciate that about him.”
Flacco certainly enjoyed playing with wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. And so did his kids as he walked out of Paycor with signed jerseys from them both.
“He’s very special,” Flacco said of Chase. “Out of respect to Tee, anytime I talk about Ja’Marr, I do feel the need to talk about him too, because they both are just special. They can change a game by themselves. Kind of like the guy we just played on defense (Browns edge Myles Garrett). How you have to game plan for him every single play, Ja’Marr does that for an offense.”
How ironic that Flacco’s last snap for the Bengals could be that third-and-one quarterback sneak on Sunday against the Browns when Taylor summoned him off the bench?
“It wasn’t in the game plan,” Flacco said. “Spur of the moment.”
So was the longest run of his career, a 38-yard touchdown run off a broken play in his 2008 NFL debut against the Bengals.
