Will Joe Flacco Finish His Career With The Ravens?

Joe Flacco has had a long tenure with the Ravens, but I am not sure he will end his career in Baltimore.

After another disappointing season, the Ravens will miss the playoffs for the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons. There are many fingers to point and most tend to land on the starting quarterback.

Joe Flacco is loved by some fans but hated by others. He has shown his greatness at times, leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl in 2012. During that playoff run he threw for an astounding 11 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He has also made questionable decisions throughout the years and has struggled against defenses.

There is no doubt that Joe has had a great career with the Ravens. He has provided stability at the quarterback position for 9 years. Many dream about having the same quarterback stability for 1-2 years.

But at a certain point in his career, it may be time to go.

Not at an elite level

Ever since he became a relevant quarterback in the NFL, there has been the “elite” argument. Don’t get me wrong, Joe had one of the best playoff runs in NFL history, but that hangover is long gone. I have supported him from day #1, but it is becoming harder and harder to watch him play.

To excel, Joe has to be in a situation where everything around him is working on all cylinders. There needs to be a balanced offensive attack and decent play makers in the run and pass game.

As we saw this season, throwing the ball 672 times is not going to get the job done. That is not the kind of quarterback that Joe is. He has only thrown for over 600 attempts in 2 seasons and both times the Ravens record has been 8-8.

We see situations like Tom Brady, who has never had legitimate weapons other than Gronk, but makes the players around him great. Neither Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan played wide receiver in college, but both torched the Ravens secondary this season. This is what separates Joe from the great quarterbacks. He can’t produce if he doesn’t have the weapons around him.

Contract Situation

After winning a Super Bowl in 2012, Joe Flacco got his pay day. The Super Bowl MVP signed a massive 6 year contract worth $120.6 million.

In March of last year, Flacco signed a 3 year, $66.4 million deal. This deal was not a surprise, because it freed up cap room for the Ravens going into the 2016 season. With the extension he was now under contract with the Ravens until the 2022 season. But that does not necessarily mean he will finish his career with the team.

If we take a look at the details of his contract, he will be making $24.5 million this upcoming season with $47.3 million in dead money. This significantly hurts the Ravens with their cap space, but there is not much they can do about it. Going into the 2018 and 2019 season, Flacco’s salary will increase to $24.75 million and $26.5 million, but the dead cap space goes way down. By the time the 2020 season rolls around, his contract will only have $8 million in dead cap space.

Realistically, there is a good chance that Joe Flacco will not be a Ravens for life. Very rarely do quarterbacks get drafted by a team and finish their career in the same place. It will not make sense to get rid of him now, but if he continues to play the same way, I can’t see him staying much longer.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: Wide Receiver Is Their Top Need

At some point the Ravens need to draft or acquire younger talent. It is not worth paying a quarterback in his late thirties $20 million plus if he cannot produce.