Joe Flacco expects to play for Jets
Joe Flacco is back in town and he is ready to play — just not against the Bengals this weekend.
Flacco reported to One Jets Drive and suited up for his first practice back with the Jets on Friday. New York sent a conditional sixth-round pick that could become a fifth-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for Flacco after Zach Wilson suffered a sprained PCL that will keep him out 2-4 weeks.
Flacco will be inactive when Cincinnati comes to MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Mike White will start and Josh Johnson will be bumped up from the practice squad, but Flacco believes he can get up to speed on Mike LaFleur’s offense sooner rather than later and take over as the starter under center before Wilson returns.
“I’ve played long enough to be able to adapt as much as I can on the fly and be ready as soon as possible,” Flacco said Friday. “I think I see myself playing here at some point in the next couple weeks.”
Flacco returns to the Jets after starting four games in place of the injured Sam Darnold last season. Flacco fared well in place of Darnold with 864 yards and six touchdowns to three interceptions, but New York went 0-4 with the 36-year-old as its starter.
The circumstances are a bit different now with a new coaching staff and offensive scheme in place. But Flacco is familiar with the Jets’ system from his days playing in similar Kyle Shanahan-esque offenses under Gary Kubiak in 2014 and Rich Scangarello in 2019, which will make his acclimation to LaFleur’s scheme an expedited one.
“There’s a lot of familiarity with it, it’s just kind of a process of getting yourself back up to speed with it and seeing what they’ve installed and what they really like to run,” Flacco said.
Flacco will ultimately revert to a backup role once Wilson is able to return. The former Super Bowl MVP is comfortable with that, but he is more focused on playing in place of Wilson in the short-term than he is taking the rookie under his wing.
“I don’t necessarily see veteran players as always being the best mentors, and that’s probably including myself,” Flacco said. “But yes, when it comes down to it, I’m a team guy. I have great relationships with guys. So whatever my role is at this point, when I’m in that role, I’m going to do it.
“I will embrace that role. But at the same time, I think I’m here to, in the short term, help out as much as I can on the field.”
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