Joe Flacco's magical and completely unexpected run in Cleveland ended with a blowout loss in the postseason.
It was a place the Browns never would have reached without Flacco. And if Flacco could have it his way, he'd love to do it again in Cleveland in 2024.
"All things equal, Cleveland is definitely the place that I would feel the best about," Flacco said of his free-agency preferences during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "Now, then you have to get into the world of is somebody actually going to give me a chance to play, and all the different things that go into that. But I can't help but have a special feeling about Cleveland. Just because of the few weeks that I spent there and how great the city was. I don't necessarily want that to be all of the decision, but I do think that it will factor into the decision, if I have a decision to make."
This is not a simple decision between premier opportunities for Flacco, who at 38 years old left his couch, entered Cleveland's starting lineup after a week spent with the team, and found himself starting in a road game against the Los Angeles Rams. He lost that start, then went on to win four straight, powering an unlikely run to the postseason for a Browns team that just needed steady quarterback play to get them there.
Flacco provided that and then some, leading the NFL in passing over the four-game winning streak and becoming the first Browns quarterback in franchise history to throw for 300-plus yards in four straight games. He authored both blowout wins and thrilling comeback victories, enrapturing Cleveland in Flacco Fever and prompting the city's many T-shirt companies to print apparel featuring his likeness.
For years, Flacco dominated the Browns as the franchise quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens. In six weeks, he erased all of the pain he'd once caused, and replaced it with euphoria.
The ending didn't matter as much as the journey for Flacco and the Browns. But it was also an experience that everyone in Northeast Ohio enjoyed with the collective understanding that it included an expiration date. This was no start of a new, hopeful era with a face of a franchise, but a temporary moment of bliss amid enough adversity to down most pro franchises.
The reigning AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year could, however, return to bask in the love from Browns fans again in 2024. He'll just have to accept it isn't his starting job. That gig belongs to Deshaun Watson, whom Flacco indirectly replaced out of necessity when he boarded a coach flight to Cleveland and signed with the Browns in the middle of the 2023 season.
"Obviously if I go back to Cleveland, then I have to craft my mind around that idea," Flacco said of playing behind Watson. "Obviously, I want to play football. That's also a really, really, really big factor. Probably the biggest factor. ... I don't think you can really make that decision without any hard things laid in front of you."
All signs point to Cleveland resuming their Watson experience in 2024, provided he's healthy enough to perform. General manager Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski both sounded optimistic about Watson's outlook when speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week, leaving little room for speculation to the contrary.
If Flacco does return to the Browns, it would be as a highly valuable veteran backup. There will be no camp competition for the starting job in such a scenario, and Flacco would only see the field if Watson suffered another injury or played so poorly, Stefanski would have no choice but to replace him with the quarterback who thrived under his direction.
These are the crucial details Flacco will have to weigh when testing the market and making a decision on where he'll play in 2024. It's still an ideal position for Flacco, though; a year ago at this time, he was drawing zero interest from NFL teams.
Since seizing his opportunity, the now 39-year-old expects to draw interest. And he's not afraid to let the world know just how interested he is in running it back in Cleveland, where he said he'd felt like a kid again when wearing brown and orange.
My, how the tables have turned for the former Ravens hero.
"I can honestly say Cleveland is an unbelievable place," Flacco said, "and it will definitely hold a special value when I make those decisions."
