BEREA, Ohio — After a 311-yard, three-touchdown game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Browns had made their decision—Joe Flacco will be the starting quarterback moving forward through the last four games of the regular season and into the playoffs should the Browns make a postseason run.
But fans began to stir on Monday when Flacco, a practice squad elevation for that game, automatically reverted back to the practice squad the day after the game. That is the procedure for players who are game-day elevations from the practice squad. In fact, a player can be elevated three times from the practice squad to the active roster. So, technically, the Browns had one more elevation in Flacco before they needed to sign him to the active 53-man roster.
What concerned some fans, though, was the technical ability for Flacco to sign with another team while on the practice squad. While it was possible, Flacco would have had to agree to sign with another team. After being named the starter for Cleveland, that wasn't going to happen.
But still, the fans stirred, expecting some bad news to drop about Flacco.
On Monday, when asked what the plan was to get Flacco from the practice squad to the active roster, head coach Kevin Stefanski laughed and said it wasn't a worry and things would all work out.
“I’d say don’t worry about it," Stefanski said. “Because it’ll all work out. I wouldn’t be hung up on this one.”
On Thursday, Browns fans could take a collective sigh of relief after it did all, in fact, work out.
Flacco signed a one-year contract with up to $4.25 million in incentives for the final four regular season games and into a postseason run. For every regular season game he wins from here on, Flacco will make $75,000. If the Browns make the playoffs, Flacco would make $250,000 for a wild-card win, $500,000 for a divisional playoff win, $1 million for an AFC Championship game win, and $2 million for a Super Bowl win.
But Flacco doesn't care about the money.
"Listen, I'm not aware of any of that stuff. I leave it up to Joe, my agent, and he brushes over it with me real quick and I come up and sign it," Flacco said.
The Browns quarterback, who spent 11 seasons of his 16-year NFL career with AFC North foes the Baltimore Ravens, simply wants to play football and help the Browns get wins.
With Flacco on the active roster and the Bears coming to town for Sunday's matchup, the quarterback's next opportunity to do just that is fast approaching.
And the quarterback added there was never a reason for fans to worry about him being signed by another team while on the practice squad anyway.
"I wouldn't have went though anyway. It's been great here," Flacco said.
