Former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco signs with the Jets

Joe Flacco (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)

Former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco of Audubon, New Jersey has signed with the New York Jets according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. The terms of the deal are for one year and Flacco is guaranteed to make $1.5 million. If certain conditions are met, Flacco could get $4.5 million.

After 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Flacco was the quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 2019. In eight games, he completed 171 passes in 262 attempts for 1822 yards. Flacco also had six touchdowns, five interceptions, a quarterback rating of 85.1, and 20 yards rushing. Even though Flacco only played a partial season, his 65.3% pass completion percentage was a career high.

Flacco only played half the 2019 National Football League regular season because he suffered a neck injury in a 15-13 Broncos loss to the Indianapolis Colts on October 27. For the rest of the season, Brandon Allen of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Drew Lock of Columbia, Missouri were the starting quarterbacks for the Broncos. Lock, who was the Broncos starting quarterback for five games in 2019 and had a record of four wins and one loss, is expected to be the starting quarterback for Denver in 2020.

On February 3, 2013, Flacco was named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player after the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. In the game, Flacco completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

In New York, Flacco will be expected to backup Sam Darnold of Dana Point California. The AFC East will be mighty interesting in 2020 with Tom Brady no longer the quarterback with the New England Patriots. Flacco is one of two notables who will be a backup for the Jets this season. At the running back position, future Hall of Famer Frank Gore will be backing up Le’Veon Bell.