40-Year-Old Flacco Fights for the Starting Job

Ever since the start of the Cleveland Brown’s training camp two weeks ago, four players have been competing for the valued position of starting quarterback. Of the four players, Joe Flacco stands out, being the second-oldest quarterback in the entire league and having the experience to match it.

Despite this, competition is steep. Rookie Shedeur Sanders has the highest stats of any of the four competitors by far, scoring six touchdowns without hitting a single interception. The only other player to hit zero interceptions is Flacco. Two-time NFL Coach of the Year winner Kevin Stefanski comments that, in spite of his age, Flacco is still “making all the throws that we’re accustomed to seeing him make.”

In the past, Flacco had been an extremely competent player, with some arguing that he has fallen behind as the years went by. Drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2008, Flacco was an instant starter quarterback as a rookie. This occurred after he set twenty school records playing for the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens in college. Young Joe Flacco also won the Rookie of the Year award that same season, playing for the Ravens in 2009. He led the same team to victory in the AFC North twice and won the Super Bowl almost four years later in 2013. Flacco’s easygoing and relaxed personality allowed him to perform well under high-stress situations, leading to several remarkable plays during the game. He was named the MVP of that year’s Super Bowl.

While the competition for the starting position is steep, Flacco isn’t showing poor sportsmanship. Flacco says in an interview with the New York Times that, “he is committed to helping Gabriel and Sanders adjust to the NFL”(Michael Silver, The New York Times 7). Flacco believes that he is doing “anything to help the team.”

Joe Flacco is only the second-oldest quarterback in the league, however. Both Flacco and the oldest quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, believe they can still keep up with the rookies of the league, with Flacco saying that, “I feel that I can still move, and my arm is all of what it’s ever been.”