Ravens must avoid Joe Flacco as tempting reunion becomes more likely

Watching the Cleveland Browns fight and claw their way to the playoffs is never what the Baltimore Ravens want to see. Depending on your persuasion, seeing them do so with Ravens great Joe Flacco leading the charge at quarterback is either morbidly ironic or oddly encouraging to see.

While it was nice to see Flacco, a team icon who brought Baltimore one of their two Super Bowl victories, perform well enough to win Comeback Player of the Year and lead a team to the postseason, the fact he had to do it with that orange Browns helmet on made for a very confusing cocktail of feelings.

Flacco seems ready to come back for another season, as he showed he has enough juice left in the tank for a backup spot. While Cleveland seems like a natural fit, especially with Deshaun Watson both performing poorly and getting hurt, it seems unlikely that Flacco will run it back in northeast Ohio.

Zac Jackson of The Athletic reported that Flacco is "almost definitely" moving on from the Browns this season. While having Flacco end his career in Baltimore could be a storybook way for it to end, the Ravens must be well aware of how impractical bringing Flacco in would be.

Baltimore Ravens must avoid Joe Flacco reunion in 2024

While backup Tyler Huntley is a free agent, and he has much less arm talent than even a declining Flacco, all signs point to him returning as Lamar Jackson's backup. Given how he has plus mobility and solid NFL accuracy, Eric DeCosta doesn't need to scour the league for an upgrade here.

Is it possible to find two quarterbacks who have more different styles of play than Jackson? Part of why Huntley is held in such high regard by Baltimore is how he can run the ball effectively and distribute it at a passable clip. Flacco would take all the quarterback run plays, a huge chunk of the offense, out of the equation.

While Jackson was fully healthy last season, the fact that Huntley has been called into action so frequently should let Baltimore know they must prioritize finding a backup with a style as close to Jackson's as possible.

Flacco could be attractive for a contender who wants veteran assurance behind them or a team that needs him to eat up starts before a prized rookie quarterback can slide into the starting lineup. With the Ravens in dire need of depth elsewhere on the roster, Flacco would not move the needle in any meaningful fashion and could cause issues on offense.