Joe Flacco

At 39 years old, Joe Flacco has this physical status:

Joseph Vincent "Joe" Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. (NFL).

After transferring from Pittsburgh, he played college football at Delaware and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Flacco was Baltimore's starting quarterback from 2008 to midway in the 2018 season, leading the Ravens to the playoffs six times; during his tenure in Baltimore, the Ravens won the AFC North twice, appeared in three AFC Championship Games, and defeated the San Francisco 49ers to win Super Bowl XLVII following the 2012 season.

Flacco was named MVP of Super Bowl XLVII, snapping Joe Montana's single season record for touchdown passes (11) without an interceptor.

Flacco's offseason deal was worth $120.6 million, a record high for a quarterback at the time.

Following a hip injury that caused him to miss his starting position to Lamar Jackson, Flacco was traded to the Broncos following the 2018 season. Despite pedestrian regular season results and no Pro Bowl berths as of the 2018 NFL season, Flacco has been a better performer in the postseason, winning the most postseason road victories by a quarterback with seven, a record of 10–5.

Flacco is also known for having one of the NFL's best arms, allowing him to play a "aggressive, high-risk deep downfield passing game."

Early years

Flacco was born in Audubon, New Jersey, on January 16, 1985, the eldest of five sons to Karen (née Madden) and Steve Flacco. Four younger brothers are in Flacco's house. The Flacco family is a descendant from Haddon Township, New Jersey. Flacco was a starting quarterback for the Green Wave at Audubon High School, playing football, baseball, and basketball. Flacco was described as No. 1, according to Rivals.com, as a three-star recruit. In the class of 2003, 39 quarterback prospects rank 39 among the best quarterback prospects.

Personal life

Dana Flacco married Flacco in 2011. The couple have five children; their first child, a boy, was born in June 2012. Their second son was born on September 15, 2013, about an hour before the Ravens' home opener. Their third son was born in January 2015 and their fourth son was born in April 2018. The Flaccos' only daughter was born in September 2016.

Flacco spent time in Reisterstown, Maryland, before being traded to the Denver Broncos in 2019.

Flacco is the eldest of the five children in his family. Mike, John, Brian, and Tom's brothers are also named, as well as Stephanie. Mike is a member of the Baltimore Orioles and was selected in the 31st round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. John, another brother, was a walk-on receiver with the Stanford Cardinal football team. Tom Flacco, Joe's youngest brother, played quarterback for two seasons before moving to Rutgers in 2017 and then Towson in 2018. Tom was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League in 2021.

Flacco was named as the most attractive player in the NFL in a Fanatics poll published in January 2017.

Flacco made a gift of an undisclosed amount to University of Delaware athletics in 2018. It was the highest donation from a Delaware alumnus in the NFL.

Source

College career

Flacco was redshirted as a freshman for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team, which went 8–5 in 2003.

Flacco, the back-up quarterback for starter Tyler Palko, who led the team to an 8-4 record in 2004. He appeared in three games against Ohio University, University of Nebraska, and the University of South Florida. Flacco only passed for four yards and ended the season with one completion for 11 yards and a 25-yard punt.

In 2005, Flacco transferred to the University of Delaware, but was not eligible to participate in the sport at the University of Delaware. During the 2006 season, he saw his first full time action, throwing for 2,783 yards, 18 touchdowns, and ten interceptions. The Fightin' Blue Hens, a Delaware team, never really recovered to a 5–6 record and did not qualify for the FCS playoffs.

Flacco led his team to an 8-3 regular-season record while still collecting 4,263 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Arguably his best game was against Navy, where he threw for 434 yards and four touchdowns. Flacco's first-ever match against the Delaware State Hornets in the first round of the playoffs saw another good showing. Flacco threw fluently for 189 yards and a touchdown on a record-breaking day, leading the Blue Hens to a convincing 47-7 win. Flacco continued Delaware's playoff run by defeating the Northern Iowa Panthers 39–27 in the FCS quarterfinals and defeating the Southern Illinois Salukis 20–17 on the next weekend. Flacco won against both the Panthers and Salukis, but the Appalachian State Mountaineers lost by 49-21.

During his time in Delaware, Flacco set 20 school records.

Professional career

Flacco, who was skepticism about his prospects to play in the NFL, and after his junior year, he begged his coach for permission to play baseball. Surprised Flacco, the coach predicted that he would be selected in the NFL Draft. Flacco established himself as a top-five quarterback in the 2008 NFL Draft with a solid showing at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. Flacco won the long distance throw in ESPN's State Farm College Football All-Star Challenge with a 74-yard throw, defeating Matt Ryan, Colt Brennan, Chad Henne, and John David Booty, who later captured the Taco Bell Quarterback Scramble in 15.72 seconds.

Members of the Baltimore Ravens' front office were impressed by the man's ability to throw in rainy and windy weather. Despite Delaware's poor weather, Flacco's staff in the bad weather of his workout at Delaware met their hopes—Flacco carried out the workout on an uncut, unlined field with his own footballs. Eric DeCosta, the Ravens' assistant general manager, later said that the workouts made him confident that Flacco would thrive in Pittsburgh and Cleveland in the late-season.

After the team traded out of the eighth overall pick to the 26th, Flacco was drafted by the Ravens as the 18th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Flacco was voted the best-drafted player from the University of Delaware by the committee. In the first round of the draft, he was also the first Division I-FCS (formerly I-AA) quarterback selected in the first round after Steve McNair finished third overall to the Houston Oilers in the 1995 NFL Draft. In the first round, draft commentators dismissed the pick as a "reach," implying that Flacco would possibly have been still available in the middle of the second round. DeCosta, on the other hand, said that waiting was way too much of a gamble, and that selecting Flacco in the first round was "a logical decision to make."

On July 16, 2008, he agreed to a five-year deal with a maximum value of $30 million and $8.75 million.

Flacco was the starting quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals due to a season-end injury to incumbent starter Kyle Boller and an illness to former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith. He finished 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards, his longest pass to Derrick Mason was 15 yards. In his debut, he had no touchdowns or interceptions, but he had a 38-yard touchdown, the longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback in Ravens' franchise history at the time (Lamar Jackson had it broken several times). The Ravens were up 17–3 after touchdown by Flacco; the team later won the game 17–10.

In Week 9, Flacco was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, the NFLPA Rookie of the week, and NFL Rookie of the Month for November. Flacco's rookie season ended with 257/428 for 2,971 yards (14 passing, 2 rushing), with 14 interceptions and two lost fumbles).

Flacco was the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to win his first post-season appearance and the first to do it on the road as his Ravens defeated the Miami Dolphins 27–9. Flacco completed 9-of-23 attempts, totaling 135 yards without losing a single yard or intercepting a ball. In the 4th quarter, he also scored the victory-sealing rushing touchdown on a quarterback draw. The only other rookie quarterbacks to win their first playoff game are Shaun King, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, and Mark Sanchez.

He then played his second game against the Tennessee Titans in his second game. In the divisional playoff round, Flacco led the Ravens to a 13–10 victory. On the go-forward scoring drive in the 4th quarter, Flacco made a game-winning field goal from Matt Stover. For the second straight game, Flacco was 11-of-22 for 148 yards and a touchdown. He was the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games.

The Ravens lost 14–23, with Flacco throwing for 141 yards, being suspended three times, and throwing three interceptions, one being the game clincher to Troy Polamalu, who returned the pass for a touchdown.

In January 2009, Flacco was named Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year.

Flacco led the Ravens to their first victory of the season in a season-opening game in Baltimore against the Kansas City Chiefs. Along with 18 yards rushing, he threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns, two of his career highs. He also had one interception and had a 95.8 quarterback rating. The Ravens set a new franchise record for the most offensive yards in a game with a total of 501.

Flacco set a new career high passer rating of 135.6 in Week 15 against the Chicago Bears, breaking his personal record for most touchdowns in a game with four. The Ravens would triumph 31–7 in the game. Flacco became the first Ravens quarterback since Vinny Testaverde to throw for more than 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in a single season. He also matched his interceptions record from his rookie season of 12.

On Wild Card Weekend against the New England Patriots, an injury limited Flacco's appearance on Wild Card Weekend. Despite Flacco's 4-of-10 for 34 yards and one interception, the Ravens defeated the Patriots 33-14.

Flacco and the Ravens opened New Meadowlands Stadium against the New York Jets in the season's opener. Flacco passed for 248 yards on 56% of his passes, throwing one interception and losing a fumble. The Ravens defeated Rex Ryan, the Ravens' former defensive coordinator, in a defensive match.

Flacco had perhaps his worst NFL start of his young career, throwing for 154 yards while only 43.6% of his passes and throwing a career-high four interceptions, while throwing one touchdown and accumulating a passer rating of 23.8. Flacco and the Ravens were home openers against the Cleveland Browns, coming off his rough start in his career. Flacco bounced back from his Week 2 loss to the Bengals and played his best game of the young season, throwing for 262 yards and 71% of his passes. He then hooked up with the award-winning offseason pick wide receiver Anquan Boldin for three touchdowns while throwing no interceptions and accumulating a passer rating of 128.7. The Ravens won the game 24–17.

Flacco was one of only four NFL quarterbacks to lead his team to the playoffs in all three seasons on December 26, 2010, after defeating the Cleveland Browns on December 26, 2010. Flacco reached 10,000 passing yards in this game. Flacco finished the season with season highs in passing yards (3,622), passing grade (93.6), and a season low in interceptions (93.6). However, four interceptions were held to a career high (102).

Flacco completed 25 of 34 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns, beating the Kansas City Chiefs (30–7) in the Wild Card Round of the 2010–11 NFL playoffs, with no interceptions, for a post-season high passer rating of 115.4. Flacco became the first quarterback to start and win a playoff game in each of his first three seasons, defeating Len Dawson, Roger Staubach, Jake Delhomme, and Mark Sanchez for the most consecutive post-season road wins by a quarterback.

Flacco and the Ravens will meet their arch-rival Steelers in the Divisional Round. The season would have made the difference this time. After a 12-yard rush by running back Ray Rice, a fumble return by defensive end Cory Redding, and a four-yard touchdown pass by tight end Todd Heap, the Ravens came out to a 21-07 lead. Baltimore, on the other hand, crumbled in the third quarter, which was otherwise dominant in any of the regular season. Rice's uncharacteristic fumble, an intercept by Flacco, and a fumbled snap by center Matt Birk (Flacco was credited with the missing fumble), and with those, the Ravens took the lead by 31-24. Well, with all of the Ravens' miscommunications and mistakes, the Ravens had a chance to tie it at the end, but the Ravens had a chance to tie it down until Flacco threw a dart to T.J. Houshmandzadeh on 4th and 18, but it was denied. Flacco finished the game 16-of-30 for 125 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He was ranked 90th among his fellow NFL players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.

In Week 3 against the St. Louis Rams, Flacco had his best game of the season. He went 27-of-48 for a season-high 389 yards through the air and three touchdowns, as well as rookie wideout Tory Smith (who completed the game with a five catch, 152-yard breakout game). Flacco had a 103 rating, as well as 27 yards rushing and a lost fumble. In the 30-point victory, the Ravens scored a season-high 37 points, as well as a a franchise record 553 offensive yards.

During the regular season, Flacco played three more 300-yard games: against the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, and Steelers. He won all three of these games, thrashesing Pittsburgh for the first time in his career, but he also lost fumbles in each one. Despite losing to the San Diego Chargers in Week 15, the Ravens clinched the playoffs for the fourth straight year this week. In a Week 17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens clinched their division, as well as the number two seed in the AFC. Flacco threw for 130 yards and a touchdown.

Flacco finished the season by playing in all 16 games. He had 312 attempts on 542 attempts (57.6%). He threw for 3,610 yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and one interceptor had one rushing touchdown. He averaged 225.6 yards per game and was suspended 31 times over the course of the season, including six intercepted fumbles, setting a new career record. He ended the year with an 80.9 QB rating.

Flacco's playoff dominance began this year. He threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns in the Divisional Round against the Houston Texans, with no turnovers. Flacco completed 22 out of his 36 attempts, throwing for two touchdowns and one interceptor along with 306 yards passing in the AFC Championship. These statistics were enough to discredit New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who threw for 67 yards, two fewer touchdowns, and one more interceptor than Flacco. Despite Flacco's appearance, the Patriots will not make it to the Super Bowl.

Flacco was ranked 74th by his peers on the NFL Network's Top 100 Players of 2012 list. Despite Flacco's success — the Ravens were in the playoffs each of his first four seasons — Few rated him as one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. He had never been selected for the Pro Bowl before January 2015. Flacco was, according to Brady, Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rodgers, who later said, "most commonly mocked" when he declared that he was the best quarterback in the league, superior to Brady, Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rodgers. "I don't think I'd be very successful at my job if I didn't feel that way," Flacco said. In July, he turned down the Ravens' contract for a new deal, according to his rep, who told his agent that he could improve and earn more.

Flacco's first week in the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award was awarded for 299 yards and two touchdowns in a 44–13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, earning his second AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. The Ravens had a 9–2 record by Week 11, which was a new record. Flacco did not do well in a Week 12 match against the Steelers, winning only 16 of 34 passes for 188 yards with one touchdown and an interceptor. Despite their division rival starting backup Charlie Batch at quarterback, the Ravens squander a ten-point lead and lose 20-23. Flacco went 16-of-21 with three touchdowns against the Washington Redskins, but only passed yards in the season's first back-to-back losses. With the offense being inconsistent and the team lacking opportunities to win their division with each loss, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron was unexpectedly fired and replaced by quarterback Jim Caldwell, the former Indianapolis Colts head coach. The change in the coordinator was followed by a humiliating loss to the Denver Broncos, prompting widespread mockery of Flacco in the media.

Flacco and the Ravens responded with a 33–14 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, in which Flacco threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns with another rushing. Despite the win over New York, a large number of local and national media portrayed the team as a Super Bowl candidate, with ESPN predicting that the team had "backed into the playoffs with a horrific December."

Flacco's Wild Card Playoffs round victory over the Indianapolis Colts on January 6, 2013, had a game 12 of 23 for 282 yards, two touchdowns, and a career high 125.6 passer rating. The Broncos' 24–9 victory in the regular season brought a 98-point rematch with the Broncos, who began the season as nine-point favorites after beating the Ravens in the regular season, which included a 98-yard interception touchdown return by Broncos' cornerback Chris Harris, which marked the lowest point of Flacco's season. Flacco had one of his best games in his career, throwing for 331 yards and three touchdowns. The Ravens were down 35-28 in the fourth quarter and had one last chance to tie the game. Flacco heaved a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones, ending the game in overtime after an incomplete pass and a 7-yard scramble on 3rd down and three yards, sending the game into overtime. The pass has been dubbed "Mile High Miracle" and "one of the finest plays in football history" by Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw's "Immaculate Reception," and Joe Montana's "The Catch," and is a parody. The Ravens will defeat the New England Patriots in double overtime 38–35 after Corey Graham from Peyton Manning intercepted the Ravens and a 47-yard field goal by Justin Tucker, sending the Ravens to face the New England Patriots for their second straight year.

Flacco and the New England Patriots beat the New England Patriots 28-13 on January 20, 2013, securing their spot in the 2013 Super Bowl. Flacco played for 240 yards and three touchdowns in his third straight game with a passer rating over 100. Flacco defeated both Peyton Manning (with the Broncos) and Tom Brady in the same postseason since both quarterbacks became starting quarterbacks in 2001 (Mark Sanchez in 2010).

In Super Bowl XLVIII, the Ravens took on the San Francisco 49ers on February 3, 2013. The 49ers were a 4-point favorite to win the game, but the Ravens were able to win by 32-31. Flacco's three touchdowns in the game ranked him for first on the list of most consecutive playoff games with at least three touchdown passes (3 games). Flacco was named the game's Most Valuable Player and was given a brand-new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette in a single postseason for his fourth playoff game with a 100+ passer rating in a single postseason.

Flacco finished the season with 73-of-126 (57.9 percent) passes for 1,140 yards with 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions, tied for the most touchdowns in a single postseason and tying Montana and Kurt Warner for the most touchdowns without an interception in a single postseason. Flacco's 117.2 passer rating ranked him for third place all-time with Steve Young in a Super Bowl-winning postseason.

Flacco's achievements gave rise to the New York Times' headline, "this could be the best start to a player's free agency in the history of professional sports," he said, as his deal came to an end after the season ended. He was ranked 19th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.

Flacco made history by signing a six-year deal worth $120.6 million on March 4, 2013. However, Aaron Rodgers of the Packers and Matt Ryan of the Falcons surpassed him within months.

Flacco's 2013 season was his worst in his career, according to his records. Flacco threw more interceptions than touchdowns for the first time as an NFL quarterback. His 22 interceptions in the season were ten more than he'd seen in any other season. His 19 touchdowns were also his lowest since his rookie year. His passer rating was a career low 73.1, about 7 points lower than Flacco's previous worst season passer rating. He was fired more times (48%) than he had in any other time in his career. Despite all this, he set a record for passing yards with 3,912. The Ravens went 8-8 for the season, and Flacco missed the playoffs for the first time in his career. On the 2014 NFL Top 100 Players, he ranked 58th by his peers.

The Ravens faced the Cincinnati Bengals in their 2014 home opener. The Ravens were practically the entire time during the game, but they did lead off an 80-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., who was the longest touchdown throw of Flacco's career at the time. However, the Ravens' quarterback Andy Dalton was able to miss the game 16-23, after the Bengals' quarterback Andy Dalton teamed with receiver A. J. Green for an even more spectacular 77-yard touchdown that would ultimately be the game's champion. It would be the first time the Ravens have lost their home opener since 2005. Flacco finished the game with 35 of 62 passes and throwing for a season-high 345 passing yards, as well as a touchdown and an intercept, with a passer rating of 71.0.

In Week 6, Flacco's best game of the season and one of his career's finest games. Smith, Tory Smith, Kamar Aiken, and Michael Campanaro all intercepted for 306 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes to four different receivers (Smith Sr., Torrey Smith, Kamar Aiken, and Michael Campanaro) with no interceptions. He wasn't fired and had a season-high passer rating of 149.7. Flacco made the fastest quarterback to throw five touchdown passes, but it took him 16 minutes and 3 seconds. The Ravens defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48–17. For the third time in his career, he received AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

The Ravens defeated the Texans in Week 16, with a chance to clinch the playoffs. Flacco's was his worst game of the season and certainly the worst of his career. With only 27 passing yards and two interceptions, the Ravens trailed 0–16 going into halftime. The Ravens would return to play in the second half after Flacco threw two touchdown passes to Tory Smith, but the Ravens never trailed the Ravens in the whole game and ended up losing 13-25. Flacco was on target to finish 21 of 50 passes for 195 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions with a season-low passer rating of 41.7. He was also fired twice.

In Week 17 in Baltimore, the Ravens took on the Cleveland Browns. They had a chance to clinch the final playoff seed, but they needed a victory and the Kansas City Chiefs to defeat or tie the San Diego Chargers. Flacco stepped up to his game in the fourth quarter, winning the ball at the Browns' 16 yard line when he was down 10–6. Flacco connected with Smith once more on the next play of the game, this time for a touchdown, putting the Ravens up 13–10 for good with 7:33 remaining. Flacco had another touchdown pass to Kamar Aiken, bringing the game to a 20-10 victory. Kansas City will defeat San Diego 19–7, giving Baltimore the final AFC playoff spot. Flacco's game ended with 22 of 36 completed passes, 312 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions, with a passer rating of 107.6. Flacco was fired one time, resulting in one of his two fumbles in the game (he did not lose either).

Flacco had his best regular season of his career in 2014. He set the most passing yards (3,986) touchdowns (27), times fired (19), fumbles (5), and lost (0). He also attempted and completed his second most single-season passes (39 out of 554 attempts) and tied for his second fewest interceptions in a regular season (12). Flacco was not fired at all from Week 2 to 4. With the one exception being the 13-25 loss to Houston in 5 of Flacco's last six games of the season, his passership was 99 or higher. He led Baltimore to a ten-peace record.

The Ravens met the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The Ravens defeated the Steelers 30-17, with Flacco throwing 18 of 29 passes for 259 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions for 114.0. He was fired once after being tripped up by his offensive lineman on the Ravens' first offensive play of the season. This was the first time the Ravens defeated the Steelers in the postseason. Flacco won a game in his team's first round of the playoffs, extending his streak of victory. His best achievement, however, may have been that he became the first quarterback in NFL history to start and win a playoff game in six of their first seven seasons.

The Ravens traveled to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots, the nation's top-one seeded, in a 31–35 shootout, despite two back-to-back 14-point leads. Flacco still did well, going 28/45 with 292 passing yards, a career-high 4 touchdown passes, 2 interceptions, and a 92.1 passer rating. He was not fired, not fired, once more.

Flacco had been invited to the 2015 Pro Bowl as an alternate, but he turned down the opportunity to play because his mother, Dana, would give birth to the couple's third child the same month.

Flacco was ranked number 97, the lowest ranked player on the NFL's Top 100 Players list of 2015. He dropped 39 positions from the previous year, where he was ranked at number 58.

The Ravens opened their 2015 season with a road game against the Denver Broncos, where Flacco had his breakout playoff appearance just over three years ago. Flacco threw a pass down the middle of the field, aiming for Steve Smith Sr., but the pass was intercepted by Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib and returned 51 yards for a touchdown. It was Flacco's first pick-six since the 2013 season finale. The Ravens had the ball at the Denver 16-yard line and were trailing 13-19 with less than a minute remaining in the game. Former Baltimore and former quarterback Darian Stewart officially ended the game for Baltimore after Flacco threw a pass into the end zone, meant for double-covered tight end Crockett Gillmore, which was intercepted by safety, and former Baltimore Raven Darian Stewart, which was officially ending the game for Baltimore.

Flacco bounced back from 32-of-45 against the Oakland Raiders in Week 2 by going 32-of-45 with 384 yards and two touchdown passes to Crockett Gillmore with a 102.5 passer rating. However, when trying to rally the Ravens back to action, he was spotted by cornerback Neiko Thorpe with fewer than 30 seconds remaining, giving the Raiders a 37-33 upset victory. It was the first time in Flacco's NFL career that he had started out a season with a 0-2 record.

Flacco sustained a torn ACL and MCL injury on the final drive of the Ravens' Week 11 game against the St. Louis Rams, bringing an end to his 2015 season. He stayed in the game to finish the drive and put Baltimore into a position to kick the game-winning field goal, putting the Ravens up 16–13 at home.

Flacco at starting quarterback was the Ravens' 3–7 record. Flacco had 266 completed passes out of 413 attempts, 2,791 yards, 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, an 83.1 passer rating, three running touchdowns, and five fumbles, losing two. Flacco's injury ended his streak of consecutive starts at 122 games.

Flacco decided to stay with the team on March 2, 2016. The Ravens had won their first three games since 2009, posting an 8–8 record and missing the playoffs for the second straight season, the first straight season for the Ravens. Flacco threw a career-high and franchise record 4,317 passing yards for the first time he surpassed at least 4,000 yards, but he only had 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, the second highest of his career. Flacco's average per attempt was 6.4, tying his career low. Flacco also set a career-high and franchise record 436 completions, as well as a career-high and franchise record 672 attempts. The 672 pass attempts currently rank fifth in a single season in league history. In Week 9 of the 2016 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had his longest touchdown pass of his career. Flacco's short pass to Mike Wallace, who was up for a 95-yard touchdown in the first quarter of the game, was the first pass play in Ravens history.

Flacco was diagnosed with a back injury in July 26, 2017, putting him out for three to six weeks of training camp. Flacco sustained a concussion against the Miami Dolphins in Week 8, after a blow from Kiko Alonso. Flacco left the game and Ryan Mallett took the remainder. The Ravens had a 40-0 win. After losing 27–31 to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 27, the Ravens ended the season with a 9–7 record and just missed the playoffs, allowing the Buffalo Bills to qualify for the postseason. Flacco played for 3,141 yards and 18 touchdowns with 13 interceptions, ending the season with 16 games.

In the season-opening blowout over the Buffalo Bills 43-53, Flacco threw for three touchdowns and had a passer rating of 121.7 on September 9, 2018. After losing his seventh game in Cincinnati, he was able to throw 376 yards and two touchdowns along with two interceptions against the Cincinnati Bengals. In the fourth quarter, he fumbled the ball, ending the chance of a comeback.

Flacco was activated by rookie Lamar Jackson as the Ravens' starting quarterback after suffering a hip injury during a Week 9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. After being cleared to play, Jackson did well going 6-1 at the helm, and Flacco served in a back-up role for the first time in his NFL career. Many fans chanted for Flacco to return to the field and replace Jackson during the Wild Card Round at home against the Los Angeles Chargers, when the Ravens were trailing as much as 3–23. Flacco will not participate in the game as Jackson's late comeback bid down 17-23 was called off with a fumble with 0:28 remaining in the fourth quarter. Overall, Flacco finished the season with 2,465 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.

In exchange for their fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Ravens decided to move Flacco to the Denver Broncos on February 13, 2019. On March 13, 2019, the agreement was signed.

Flacco threw for 268 yards and a touchdown in his Broncos debut in a 24-16 road loss to the Oakland Raiders. Flacco made his Empower Field debut against the Chicago Bears in Week 2. Flacco threw for 292 yards, one touchdown, and one intercept, while the Broncos lost 16-14. Flacco converted a seven-yard touchdown pass and a two-point conversion, both to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who led to a 14-13 lead with 31 seconds remaining in the game. However, the Bears slowed down the field and Eddy Pieiro kicked a 53-yard field goal, spoiling Flacco's home debut. In Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Flacco threw for 303 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. The Broncos won their first game of the season by a score of 20–13 in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Flacco threw for 182 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Flacco threw for 213 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7. Flacco had a career high nine times in a single game during the tournament. Flacco threw for 174 yards in the 15-13 loss in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts. He sustained a neck injury in the game, which has prematurely ended his season. Flacco finished the 2019 season with 1,822 passing yards, six touchdowns, five interceptions, and an 85.1 passer rating in eight games.

The Broncos unveiled Flacco with a failed physical description on March 19, 2020. In April 2020, he underwent neck surgery.

Flacco's backup quarterback to 2018 first-round pick Sam Darnold signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the New York Jets on May 27, 2020. At the start of training camp on July 30, 2020, he was put on the active/physically inactive list. On September 5, 2020, he was activated from the list at the start of the regular season. On October 2, Flacco made his Jets debut when he briefly appeared in the Week 4 matchup after starting Sam Darnold suffered his shoulder injury in the first quarter. In the 28-37 loss to the Denver Broncos, Darnold played only four snaps, going 2 for 2 for 16 yards before Darnold returned in the second quarter. Due to Darnold's shoulder injury, Flacco was named starter against the Arizona Cardinals on October 7, 2020. Flacco got off to a good start against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5 as the Jets lost 10–30. Flacco led to 186 passing yards, an interception, and a fumble that he recovered in the next game against the Miami Dolphins. The Jets lost 0–24, the first time Flacco had been shut down in his NFL career. After Darnold re-injured his shoulder the previous week, Flacco was thrust into the starting role against the New England Patriots in Week 9. He had his best game of the season so far, going 18 for 252 yards and three touchdowns while also passing Joe Montana for 20th on the all-time passing yards list. However, he also tossed a costly fourth quarter interception that allowed the Patriots to rally and eventually defeat the Jets 27–30. Though the Jets lost 28–34 in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Flacco completed 15 of 30 passes for 205 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.

Flacco's backup to 2020 second-round pick Jalen Hurts began on March 25, 2021.

After Jets starting quarterback Zach Wilson sustained a knee injury, the Eagles traded Flacco back to the Jets for a conditional sixth-round draft pick on October 25, 2021. For his first three games with the Jets, Flacco was a back-up to Mike White and Josh Johnson, as a backup in lieu of White. He made all three of his pass attempts for 47 yards and a touchdown. Flacco was named starting quarterback for the Jets' Week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins on November 17, 2021. On November 23, the Jets put him on the reserve/COVID-19 list as a close friend with White, who has tested positive for COVID-19. On November 30, Flacco was activated.

Flacco re-signed with the Jets for one year and $3.5 million on March 16, 2022. Due to a starter Zach Wilson's injury, he was notified as the starter for the first three weeks of the season. In Week 1 against his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, Flacco, completed 37 of 59 passes for 307 yards, a touchdown, and an intercept, while the Jets lost 9–24. Flacco had 307 passing yards and four touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2. Flacco made a 66-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis and the Jets, who won by 2:12 with a trailing 17-30, allowing Flacco to throw another touchdown with 14 seconds remaining in their 31-30 victory.

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Awards and highlights

• Super Bowl champion (XLVII)
• Super Bowl MVP (XLVII)
• Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year (2008)
• 3× AFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 9, 2008; Week 1, 2012; Week 6, 2014)
• 2× Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week (Week 8, 2008; Week 17, 2008)
• NFL Top 100 rankings: #90 (2011), #74 (2012), #19 (2013), #58 (2014), #97 (2015)