Joe Flacco became a folk hero in the state of Ohio this season, as he shockingly led the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs after taking over as the starting quarterback in December.

However, with Deshaun Watson returning from injury next season, Flacco won’t have any shot of opening 2024 as the Browns’ No. 1 signal-caller, which may very well influence his decision in free agency.

While the 36-year-old seems open to accepting a reserve role, he also clearly wants to ensure he enters a situation where he can actually take the field.

“One backup job may be different than another backup job,” Flacco said during an appearance on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. “There’s spots where I’m going to be comfortable taking that role to some extent. But, obviously, I do want to play some games. I feel like I can do that.”

Last month, Flacco said he would consider a return to Cleveland but that he did not want to rush anything, which indicates that while he enjoyed his time with the Browns, he may be in search of a greater opportunity.

The question is, are there any teams out there that would give Flacco a starting job?

Flacco made five starts for the Browns this past season, throwing 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. Most importantly, Cleveland went 4-1 in those games and made the playoffs.

However, Flacco came crashing back down to earth during the postseason, throwing a couple of pick-sixes in a 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round.

There is no doubt that Joe Flacco is a terrific backup, and that is the role he may have to settle for this offseason at this stage of his career.

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