Joe Flacco waived by Broncos: Will he get another shot in NFL?

The Denver Broncos waived Joe Flacco on Thursday after a failed physical. Now the question is if the former Super Bowl MVP will get another shot.

The Joe Flacco experience with the Denver Broncos didn’t even last a full season. After the club acquired the veteran quarterback from the Ravens for a fourth-round pick last year, Flacco played in only eight games in the 2019 season before being sidelined for good due to a neck injury. And on Thursday, he was sent packing from the Broncos.

As reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Denver waived Flacco after a failed physical on Thursday. With Tom Brady, Teddy Bridgewater, Philip Rivers and several other quarterbacks already having new deals in place, the Broncos have added Flacco to the mix as they roll on with second-year signal-caller Drew Lock.

Schefter also notes that Flacco is now the third quarterback with a Super Bowl MVP on his résumé that has been on the move this offseason, joining Brady and Nick Foles.

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While Flacco helped the Ravens to a Super Bowl in 2012, he’s largely been an average quarterback. Unfortunately, he’s recently dipped into the below-average category and, at 35 years old, it’s fair to wonder whether or not he’s going to get another shot to start in the NFL.

For the 2020 season at least, it feels as if Flacco’s chances of starting are not great given the circumstances. Not only is he clearly not healthy right now while also having a poor performance in Denver last year but the jobs remaining are limited. And with Jameis Winston still available in free agency while Andy Dalton and Cam Newton are on the trade block, Flacco is the fourth-best option of that group overall.

Having said that, if Flacco can get a clean bill of health, his veteran experience and ability to play average football could be valuable in a backup role. After all, the Pittsburgh Steelers might’ve been in the playoffs this past season had they been able to get just steady quarterback play once Ben Roethlisberger went down.

The question, however, is if Flacco would be willing to take a backup role with one of the other 31 teams in the league. He said in Denver that he, in essence, wasn’t willing to mentor Lock when he was drafted by the Broncos. So would that be the case somewhere else? It’s difficult to say.

If Joe Flacco has plans to play in the NFL again, he needs to open himself to that possibility. Between his health, recent performance and the jobs around the league, that’s his only option right now.