5 things to know about new(ish) Jets QB Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco is back in town.
The Jets felt they had to bolster their inexperienced quarterback room after it was announced that Zach Wilson will miss the next 2-4 weeks with a sprained PCL. So they reacquired Flacco in a trade with the Eagles, dealing a sixth-round pick in return. The pick could turn into a fifth-rounder depending on how much Flacco plays for New York.
Flacco signed with the Eagles during the offseason after appearing in five games and starting four in place of Sam Darnold last season. The veteran completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 864 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions, but the Jets went winless in his four starts.
Here are five things to know about Flacco after his return to One Jets Drive.
Historic postseason run
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Joe Flacco had one of the more memorable performances by a quarterback in postseason history in 2012, leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory over the San Franciso 49ers and earning Super Bowl MVP honors in the process.
Flacco went 73-126 for 1,140 yards, 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions in four games during the 2012 playoffs. He capped the run by completing 22-33 passes for 287 yards and three first-half touchdowns in Baltimore’s second-ever Super Bowl victory.
It runs in the family
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Joe Flacco is one of six kids in a rather athletic family.
Flacco’s younger brother, Mike, spent time in the Baltimore Orioles organization. After playing football at the University of New Haven, he had short stints with the Chargers and Jaguars before trying out with the Jets. The Ravens also gave him a chance to try out, but he did not do enough to secure a contract with the team.
Another brother, John, walked onto the Stanford University Football team as a defensive back, while Brian was a wrestler. Flacco’s only sister, Stephanie, was a standout field hockey and basketball player in high school. Flacco’s youngest brother, Tom, played quarterback for Rutgers, Towson and Western Michigan.
Plenty of starting experience
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Flacco’s bevy of experience as a starting quarterback is a big reason why the Jets decided to bring him back.
Flacco has a 98-77 record across 12-plus seasons as a starter. He’s thrown for 40,931 passing yards with 224 touchdowns and 144 interceptions.
Joe Douglas connection
Syndication: The Record
Back when Joe Douglas was in the Baltimore Ravens scouting department, working as a Northeast area scout, he discovered Flacco at the University of Delaware.
“He had an enthusiasm in his voice that, knowing Joe, he’s not the type of guy who is going to get real excited about anything,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “But I knew Joe, and I knew Joe was excited about this quarterback.”
Douglas played an instrumental role in convincing the Ravens front office that Flacco was their guy. The Ravens wound up making Flacco their first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. The rest is history.
Making history
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When Joe Flacco was drafted out of the University of Delaware in 2008, he became the first FCS quarterback to be drafted in the first round since 1995 when Steve McNair was drafted by the Houston Oilers out of Alcorn State University.
Since then, Carson Wentz and Trey Lance — both from North Dakota State — are the only other FCS quarterbacks to be taken in the first round. While Flacco’s selection was viewed as a reach at the time, it has helped eliminate the stigma around small-school quarterbacks being taken earlier in the draft.
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