Quarterback Joe Flacco’s return to the NFL has not only pushed the Cleveland Browns closer to the 2023 playoffs but also added to the veteran’s career legacy.
He led the Browns to a 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14 behind a gritty 300-yard, three-touchdown performance just three weeks after he signed with the team’s practice squad.
That moment almost didn’t happen, though.
Flacco reportedly tried out for television before the Browns signed him, according to NFL analyst Ryan Clark. The ex-NFL safety revealed Flacco tried out for “Inside the NFL” on the CW alongside other former NFL players Channing Crowder, Jay Cutler, Chad Johnson and Chris Long.
Ryan Clark reveals that before joining the Browns, Joe Flacco tried out for "Inside the NFL."
"I'm glad we didn't take him" pic.twitter.com/j89HqUw43M
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 11, 2023
While Flacco very much could have been a good NFL analyst, he’s proven in the past month he can still be a very good NFL quarterback. The Browns already named him the team’s starter for the rest of the season, too.
The 38-year-old veteran is 1-1 as a starter for Cleveland with 565 passing yards, five touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s only completing 55.06 percent of his passes, but he also only joined the team in mid-November.
Flacco’s role in the Browns’ rise cannot be discounted. He is the only one of the four quarterbacks Cleveland started this season to throw for at least 300 passing yards and the 31 points the offense scored is their most since Week 7 (the offense score 27 points in their Week 10 win over the Ravens.
So while Flacco may have looked at new opportunities earlier this year, he’s proven that he’s still good at his original job.
