The Baltimore Ravens have decided to stick with rookie Lamar Jackson as their starting quarterback this week despite Joe Flacco returning from a hip injury, and that is apparently the team’s long-term plan as well.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the Ravens are expected to move on from Flacco after the season. They would have to eat $16 million to release him, but it makes no sense to keep him on the roster if they’re only planning to have him serve as a backup. Rapoport adds that Flacco would be in high demand as a free agent, and there’s also a chance the Ravens could find a trade partner for the 33-year-old.
The decision of whether to trade or release Flacco could come down to where Flacco wants to play going forward.
The #Ravens are going to treat Joe Flacco with class and trading him to a team of his choice is also possible (and his salary makes that doable). https://t.co/gRVRAquXeI
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 16, 2018
Flacco is an experienced quarterback with a Super Bowl MVP on his resume, and he is young for today’s NFL. As long as his hip issue isn’t something that is expected to linger, there should be no shortage of interest in him from teams in need of stability at the quarterback position.
We have heard plenty of reports that parting ways with Flacco may not be the only major change the Ravens made this offseason, so the team could have a much different look when training camp begins in 2019.
