Best trade in Baltimore Ravens history: Acquiring Joe Flacco
If quarterback Lamar Jackson continues to improve, he’ll undoubtedly be the best trade in the history of the Baltimore Ravens but for now, that distinction goes to Joe Flacco.
The strong-armed QB out of the University of Delaware wasn’t their first choice. They were much more enamored with Matt Ryan and did everything in their power to get him including offering to send over a boatload of picks to the Rams to get him. Once that didn’t work, they moved off their eighth overall pick to number 26 but quickly moved up to 18th to grab Flacco. He immediately started out the gate due to a string of injuries to starter Kyle Boller and backup Troy Smith.
The Ravens may have been reluctant to hand over the reins at first but Flacco eased their nerves with a great year by throwing for nearly 3,000 yards. Flacco’s career has been a bit underrated over the years. He doesn’t have a Pro Bowl selection under his belt, however he was chosen in 2014 but declined due to the birth of his child. He’s never been in the MVP conversation and any discussion of him being amongst the top five quarterbacks in the league was always laughable.
Still, Flacco was more than just a game manager, he was terrific for years. In seven of his first ten seasons, Flacco threw for over 3,500 yards. He also took his team on a ridiculous Super Bowl winning run in 2012 which included wins over Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
With a league MVP already to his name, Lamar Jackson will eventually surpass Flacco but at the moment, this one isn’t up for debate.