The Impact of Joe Flacco’s Move to Denver

By David Furtado

(Photo:Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

After ten seasons the Joe Flacco era in Baltimore has officially come to an end. The Ravens traded their longtime quarterback to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a mid-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft. The trade as of now is only agreed to in principle as the new league year does not begin until mid March, and therefore the trade cannot be approved by the league office until then.

What The Trade Means For Baltimore

The biggest takeaway of the deal from the Ravens’ perspective is that Lamar Jackson is officially the man going forward. The team clearly liked what they saw from Jackson down the stretch last year, and that likely played a part in their decision to move on from Flacco. The trade also signals the end of an era for the Ravens. After ten seasons of building an offense around the deep pass ability of Flacco the Ravens will now need to shift gears to a more ground centric offense. Jackson has proven to be an elite runner and can also hold his own in the short passing game. This trade will likely force the Ravens to bring in personnel that fits Jackson’s offensive skill set and can make the offense under Jackson run as smoothly as possible.

What The Trade Means For Denver

Getting Joe Flacco is a really interesting move for the Broncos. Denver currently holds the tenth overall pick in this year’s draft, and many believed that they would use that pick to select a quarterback. They still may do just that, but it is likely that if they do draft a QB they wouldn’t start right away with Flacco there. For the upcoming season Flacco will be a nice upgrade over Case Keenum and can definitely help the Broncos to challenge for a playoff spot next season. Flacco’s skill set plays well in the Denver offense. The team has some skilled receivers such as Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton who can excel in both the short/intermediate passing game as well as being able to make an impact down the field. Broncos GM John Elway has a good group of players in Denver, but has been searching for that next great quarterback since Peyton Manning’s retirement. I am by no means saying Flacco will be that, but he has won before and in the right situation can still play well, and Denver may just be that right situation.

Bottom Line

The Ravens have made a clear statement as to where they want to go as a franchise with this trade. There were plenty of signs that the franchise was moving away from Flacco last season, so to see him traded isn’t really a shock, but it confirms what many fans thought, that Lamar Jackson is the guy. As for the Broncos, they are still chasing the next Peyton Manning, and they seem to think Flacco can be that. If Denver can continue to put elite talent around Flacco on offense, and maintain their solid defense they will certainly benefit from gaining a vet like Joe Flacco.