The Super Bowl XLVII MVP is about to have a new home as the Denver Broncos have reportedly agreed on a trade for Joe Flacco. However, the trade cannot be made official until March 13th when the new league season begins.
Joe Flacco Trade Agreed on By Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens
After a solid statistical start to the season, Flacco found himself sidelined with a hip injury after the Baltimore Ravens Week nine loss to the Carolina Panthers. He would end up watching from the bench the rest of the year as rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson took over the starting role in Baltimore. Jackson would go 6-1 in the Ravens final seven regular season games and lead his team to an AFC North title. Flacco has always made it known he wants to start wherever he is and he should get at least a chance to do just that with the Broncos.
Breaking: Baltimore has agreement in principle to trade former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco to the Broncos, league sources told ESPN.
Trade cannot be processed until new NFL league year begins Wednesday, March 13. Teams prohibited from commenting on deal or terms surrounding it.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 13, 2019
Before being injured in 2018, Flacco was on pace to set a new high in passing yards and was registering his highest QBR since 2014 and a new low in interception percentage.
Reason Ravens Are Ready To Move On From Flacco
What forced the Ravens to move on from Flacco was his sizable cap hit. Flacco was famously given a giant payday after the Ravens won the Super Bowl and his $26.5 million cap hit in 2019 was too much for Baltimore if Flacco was going to be on the bench. The initial six-year, $120 million contract Flacco was given after the 2012 season was set to run out at the end this past season but the quarterback was handed a three-year, $66.4 million extension back in 2016. This put Flacco under contract through the 2021 season.
Flacco is by far the franchise leader in almost every major category in Baltimore. One of only three Ravens first-round quarterback selections, he holds the franchise best in passing yards, passing touchdowns, quarterback rating and has the lowest interception percentage of all quarterbacks that have started 10 or more games.
Last Word
Despite being on the wrong side of the coin in Baltimore last season, Flacco has proved himself to be a leader even with his quiet demeanor. Despite being benched for Jackson and Ravens fans pleading for the coaching staff to put Flacco into the Ravens wild card game against the Los Angeles Chargers at the half, Joe Cool was quoted as saying “I thought Lamar did a great job of hanging in there and giving us a chance at the end.”
Flacco puts the team ahead of himself and sticks up for his teammates over his own personal interests.
A fresh start and new receivers for Flacco is exactly what he needs and he should have an opportunity to prove he is still a viable starter in Denver next season. Pairing up with Courtland Sutton and Emmanuel Sanders should give Flacco his best-receiving duo since 2014 when he had Steve Smith Sr. and a young Torrey Smith to throw to.
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