The Joe Flacco effect: Why Colts’ QB may deserve to be a starter, either in Indianapolis or elsewhere

Joe Flacco was practically an afterthought in 2024 NFL free agency, settling for a one-year contract to be the Indianapolis Colts‘ backup. It’s not hard to see why: The former Super Bowl champion is 39, hasn’t been a full-time starter in seven years, and still represents the old guard of stationary pocket passers.

And yet, with the Colts set to turn back to second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson following Flacco’s two-game stint as an injury replacement, it’s fair to wonder: Should Flacco be the regular starter?

If you’re the Colts, of course, you have an obligation to see what you have in the 22-year-old Richardson, whose bumps and bruises have robbed him of a full audition as the face of the franchise.

Flacco, however, has been undeniably more effective than Richardson while wearing blue: The former has seven touchdowns and just one interception, with a 65.7% completion rate and 102.2 passer rating, while Richardson enters Week 7 completing just 50% of his throws, with three scores to six picks, in 2024.

SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, meanwhile, says that the Colts’ projected regular-season win total would jump 4.3%, from 4.7 to 5.3, if Flacco remained the starter over Richardson. That may be a minimal leap for a team expected to be on the outside of the playoff race, but imagine if other, superior teams desperate for quarterback insurance had Flacco at their disposal.

Since 2023, when the aging journeyman captivated Cleveland by replacing an injured Deshaun Watson and leading the Browns to the playoffs, Flacco has thrown 20 scores to nine picks, with a 94.4 passer rating. That mark would rank 15th among all NFL quarterbacks right now. And he’s posted it with suboptimal supporting casts in Cleveland and Indianapolis, thrust into last-minute starting duties.

Accordingly, nine different NFL teams would see their projected win totals increase with Flacco as their starter, according to Oh. For five of those teams, the difference is negligible; the Carolina Panthers, for example, would get just a 0.4% bump over current fill-in Andy Dalton. Several, however, would potentially salvage fading playoff aspirations if they had Flacco under center instead of their current starters, including the Miami Dolphins (+2.7%) and Tennessee Titans (+1%).

Does this mean Flacco is a potential trade target ahead of the NFL’s upcoming in-season deadline? Unlikely. As long as Richardson is in Indy, there’s a decent chance the veteran will be called back into action due to injury. Maybe, just maybe, though, other clubs wish they might’ve pursued the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year winner as a spot starter of their own.