Joe Flacco is getting set to hit free agency this spring, and whether or not he returns to the Cleveland Browns is up in the air.

The veteran quarterback stepped in late in the season and started five games for the club, going 4-1 and leading the Browns to playoff appearance with Deshaun Watson sidelined.

Some were wondering if a quarterback controversy was brewing in Cleveland, but that chatter was abruptly put to bed when Flacco threw a pair of pick-sixes in the Browns’ blowout Wild Card Round loss to the Houston Texans.

However, Flacco can always return as a backup, and star offensive lineman Joel Bitonio spoke about the possibility of that occurring this week.

“Everybody has a lot of respect for Joe,” Bitonio said, via 92.3 The Fan. “He bonded with the locker room, he put in the work with us and he won some games and we appreciate that. And he’s a guy that I think you keep in the locker room if you can.”

Flacco threw for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 60.3 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 90.2 during the regular season.

He joined Cleveland’s practice squad in late November.

“He’s going to probably have some opportunities out there to make some things happen and we’ll see what happens,” added Bitonio. “We obviously know Deshaun’s our guy going into next year, but if Joe wants to be part of the room and kind of help build that room, I think everybody would be open to that.”

Flacco is now 39 years old, so his chances of starting on a legitimate contender are probably slim to none. That being said, he would certainly make a terrific backup, so there will surely be considerable interest in him this March.

We’ll see if Joe Flacco ultimately decides to return to the Browns. That is, of course, if Cleveland wants him back.

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