Kevin Stefanski Discusses Joe Flacco's Future With Browns
Joe Flacco's magical run with the Browns came to a screeching halt in Houston on Saturday,
The 38-year-old tossed back-to-back pick-sixes in the third quarter that sealed Cleveland's postseason fate in a 45-14 blowout loss to the Texans. Disappointing as it was, Flacco still took the city of Cleveland on a wild and memorable ride, putting up franchise numbers en route to four wins in five starts during a key December stretch of the season.
It was magical. It was captivating. It was thrilling. And it may be over for good.
The circumstances surrounding Flacco's arrival in Cleveland are no secret. When franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson went down with a season-ending shoulder injury, the Super Bowl champion arrived in Cleveland as a Hail Mary attempt at saving the season. He exceeded everyone's expectations, sure. But with Watson slated to reclaim his spot as the Browns top signal caller, is there realistically a place for Flacco on the roster next season?
“Yeah, I’d leave all those things up to, obviously, [executive VP of player personnel] Andrew (Berry), in this offseason," Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski conceded. "I will say this about Joe, he was awesome for this football team. He did a great job, battled like crazy. I know he enjoyed it. We obviously wish yesterday’s outcome was different, but I have a ton of respect for Joe and what he was able to do.”
It's a situation worth monitoring this offseason as Cleveland weighs its options for a backup to Watson. At the very least there appears to be a mutual respect between Flacco and team brass. Given how the 16-year veteran played for the Browns fown th stretch though, he may receive some calls from quarterback needy teams to actually start elsewhere this fall. He'll have to weigh his options as well.
“I think Joe is going to work through everything this offseason, as you can imagine, but had a great meeting with Joe," Stefanski said. "He’s grateful for the opportunity and he’ll work through this offseason, see where it lands."
Since Stefanski was quick to pass answering the question off to Berry, it's safe to say he'll be asked about Flacco's future when he meets with the media later this week.
