By Austin Medina
Joe Flacco's time in Baltimore is over. If the Ravens were to keep him next season, he would make $26.5 million to serve as Lamar Jackson's backup. The price tag is extremely high and the Ravens are expected to look for a trade partner. If they can't find a trade, Baltimore will cut him.
The last two years have not been kind to Flacco. Since 2017, he has thrown 30 touchdowns along with 19 interceptions. He has not thrown for 4,000 yards since 2016 and produced his lowest completion percentage (61.2) since 2013.
First, we would have to establish the compensation a possible Flacco trade would require. It is common knowledge that the Ravens will either trade or cut Flacco, which diminishes his trade value.
Why trade for a player that will be released? Although it is a gamble for some teams, it should be noted that teams may want to secure Flacco as their bridge quarterback.
Last year, the Browns reportedly offered a second-round pick for Nick Foles. Although Foles has been the backup to Carson Wentz, he led the charge en route to becoming Super Bowl MVP in 2018. After Philadelphia rejected the offer, Cleveland traded a third-round pick for Tyrod Taylor. To get a better look at the market, the Saints traded a third-round pick to the Jets for Teddy Bridgewater and a sixth-round pick.
It is possible a desperate team could offer a third-round pick for Flacco but a safe prediction would be a fourth-round pick. It is difficult to speculate what exactly Flacco's market is, but there is no denying that quarterbacks come at a high demand and teams are eager to get a quick fix.
Here are five teams that should be possible trade partners with the Ravens.
A quick note: all five teams may very well draft a quarterback in the 2019 Draft. With that said, Flacco could serve as a bridge to help develop newly-drafted quarterbacks.
Denver Broncos- John Elway has long awaited a quarterback to move the chains. Since Peyton Manning retired, Elway has seen players such as Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch, and Trevor Siemian command his offense. It was reported that the Broncos added Gary Kubiak as an offensive advisor. He and Flacco have history, as Kubiak was the Ravens offensive coordinator in 2014. In his offense, Flacco threw a career-high 27 touchdowns and a career-high 68.2 QBR. But Kubiak has moved on to Minnesota, which makes the fit for Flacco less-exciting.
Denver holds a fourth-round pick from the Texans, so perhaps this could be a part of any trades.
Washington Redskins- With Alex Smith's future in question, the Redskins have to address the quarterback position. It is possible that they draft their heir-apparent, but how likely is that if they can grab Flacco for a lower-round pick? Although they do not currently have a fourth-round pick, Washington has both third-round and fifth-round picks. In this case, Flacco doesn't even have to leave Maryland. The transition would be roughly a 40-minute drive to Landover.
Perhaps the Ravens can acquire a third-round pick in exchange for Flacco and a fifth-rounder.
New York Giants- The Giants could have had their future quarterback in last year's draft by picking Sam Darnold. Instead New York drafted Saquon Barkley.
The Giants need to replace Eli Manning and they can do that by adding Flacco. Flacco is four years younger than Manning and can serve as a short-term solution. New York has a pair of fourth and fifth-round picks so making a deal for Flacco seems to be reasonable.
The Ravens could settle a trade for Flacco by receiving a fourth-rounder from New York.
Jacksonville Jaguars- Blake Bortles has produced virtually nothing for the Jags. Jacksonville extended Bortles to a three-year, $54 million contract that had the entire league puzzled. The team is talented on defense and have a franchise running back in Leonard Fournette. After being benched for Cody Kessler, the Jags clearly are in need for a short-term fix.
The Jaguars may be desperate enough to part ways with a third-round pick (from the Rams) to obtain Flacco.
Miami Dolphins- Let's stay in Florida. After firing head coach Adam Gase, the team is still without a head coach. It has been reported that Miami will wait until Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores is available to be hired.
That said, Miami may look to move on from Ryan Tannehill.
The Dolphins may be willing to give up a third-round pick for Flacco and if not, could surrender a fourth-rounder.
What do you believe is fair compensation in exchange for Joe Flacco? Are there any teams that I missed? Let us know here at 105.7 The Fan.
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