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Joe Flacco has spoken of his surprise after the Cleveland Browns elected not to bring him back for the new season.
The veteran quarterback won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award after he came in during the middle of the season and led the franchise to a playoff appearance.
That has led to Joe Flacco getting an opportunity to be Anthony Richardson's backup with the Indianapolis Colts. He's definitely grateful for the opportunity:
"It was obviously a little bit different than last offseason, when I didn't get any calls at all. But even this offseason, I wasn't really sure how it was going to go.
"It wasn't like I played a ton of games last year or anything like that, but definitely grateful for Indy to reach out and have this as an opportunity."
He also said he was a bit surprised that the Browns did not sign him based on his performance last season:
“Probably a little bit (surprised). ... Listen, I've kind of been in this role for a handful of years now. Obviously, last year was a little bit different cause I wasn't anywhere. I was able to come in and play pretty quickly."
Joe Flacco added that this season is different from last because he gets to be in the quarterback room from the start instead of just dropping in during the middle of the season. He continued:
"But yeah, it's just about being in the room with him and a lot of conversations naturally come up when you spend so much time together in a row.
"It's just kind of I think being able to bring the experience and being able to help him simplify things and go out there and play fast and use his skillset the way he wants to."
Why did the Browns part ways with Joe Flacco?
While the Browns have not commented directly on the matter, it's understood that the reason they did not bring Joe Flacco back has to do with Deshaun Watson.
When Cleveland's franchise quarterback was injured, there was no threat to his position from the veteran quarterback. But having a former Super Bowl MVP in the same room as him might not have gone down well.
Probably, that's why they signed Jameis Winston. Now, it's up to Deshaun Watson to prove that the Browns did not mess up by letting Joe Flacco go to Indianapolis.
