Joe Flacco Was Teammates With Last Member Of Pre-Move Cleveland Browns

In a recent interview with Pardon My Take, Browns quarterback Joe Flacco shared that he was teammates with one of the last players to play for the pre-Baltimore Cleveland Browns

There was something about Joe Flacco's incredible play in Cleveland down the stretch of the season that felt like he was more than just a bridge quarterback. It may have been the wins, the electric plays, the genuine excitement that he had. Adding some mystique to Flacco's story is the fact that he had a connection to Cleveland prior to the team's move to Baltimore in 1996.

If you're over the age of 29 and reading this story, you probably have some idea of what the Cleveland Browns were before they moved to Baltimore. If you're younger and unfamiliar, do some research on what the franchise used to be before 1999.

Before the move, the the Browns were one of the premier franchises in all of the NFL. They consistently finished above .500, made deep playoff runs, had great quarterbacks and they were a proud franchise to root for.

Then, a man who will not be named moved the franchise to Baltimore and named them after a crow. Ever since, the Ravens have remained the competent franchise that they once were in Cleveland, and the new Browns were forced to start from scratch. 

Now whether you are young or old, you know what the Cleveland Browns have been since the return. The good years are few and far between, but 2023 one of them and it was a big thanks to the quarterback, Joe Flacco.

Flacco connected with the city in a way that was pretty genuine. Yes, the wins were helpful, but on Friday, during an appearance on the Pardon My Take Podcast, he shared a story about how he was actually teammates with one a Raven who also was one of the last players to play for the original Browns.

For three years, Flacco's kicker was Matt Stover, who signed with the Cleveland Browns in 1991 and was the kicker at the old stadium until the move after the 1995 campaign.

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He went on to kick for Baltimore until 2011 when he retired. 

Even more amazingly, Flacco wound up wearing the same jersey number as his former teammate here in Cleveland, nearly 30 years after Stover was kicking at the old Municipal Stadium.

Perhaps it was just meant to be that 39-year-old Joe Flacco, who played with the last pre-move Cleveland Brown, came in and saved the 2023 season. Or maybe it was just one heck of a coincidence