Veteran Quarterback Joe Flacco Trending in the Right Direction for the New York Jets

The New York Jets quarterback depth is adding a significant piece this week in Joe Flacco.

Joe Flacco is so close to getting back on the field for the New York Jets that he can feel it. The veteran quarterback’s long journey recovering from a major neck injury is nearly complete.

The former Super Bowl MVP has struggled to watch the Jets lose their first three games and wants to contribute any way he can.

“I've been jealous of most of the guys going out there practicing every day,” Flacco said Tuesday in his virtual press conference. “It's tough when you're so close to it, but you can't really go out and do much. Just kind of itching to get out there and do the individual drills and just get back to some sort of football for myself.”

The Jets didn’t say if Flacco would suit up as a backup quarterback behind Sam Darnold this Thursday night when the Jets host the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium. Flacco said he is waiting for the green light from the trainers and coaches, but he knows that he would like to be on the field.

“The toughest part of it is really just feeling pretty good, but not being able to go out there and play and not being able to go out there and practice,” Flacco said. “The offseason was one thing, but once we got back here for training camp and everybody's doing their thing and throwing footballs and throwing individual drills and running seven on seven running team drills, that's where it kind of started to become tough just because I couldn't take part in that. When you're so close to the action, but not able to really do it, it can be frustrating.”

The 35-year-old underwent neck surgery back in April to repair a herniated disk and wasn’t expected to be cleared for contact until late September. His lone season with the  Broncos, ironically the Jets opponent in Week 4,  was cut short due to the injury.

Flacco’s best moments came in the 2012 postseason. There, he lead the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl XLVII championship. He’s a 12-year veteran who is 98-73 as a starting quarterback, throwing for 40,067 passing yards, 218 touchdowns and 141 interceptions.