For the first time in his 11-year career, Joe Flacco has to look over his shoulder.
The question is how he will respond to the potential adversity.
The Ravens are confident they drafted the future quarterback of the franchise in Lamar Jackson, who was taken with the 32nd overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
There is no question that Flacco will be the starter in 2018.
Beyond that, everything is off the table.
Shortly after winning Super Bowl XLVII, Flacco signed a six-year contract worth $120.6 million, which was the largest contract signed by a quarterback at the time. However, he has not lived up to the expectations that came with such a lofty deal.
To Flacco’s defense, the Ravens have not surrounded him with many playmakers that can take over a game. On the flip side, some critics say Flacco’s contract has handicapped the team’s salary cap, which has prevented them from building a more complete roster. Flacco has also dealt with knee and back injuries that affected his overall performance.
In 2016, Flacco agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2021 season, which gave the team some immediate salary-cap relief. Nonetheless, the Ravens have missed the playoffs for the past three years.
The Ravens went out of their way to defend Flacco after selecting Jackson with the last selection of the first round. There won’t be any type of quarterback controversy heading into training camp … at least this year.
“Joe Flacco is our quarterback – that’s the thing we have to remember,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said moments after the team drafted Jackson. “Lamar is going to have a great chance to develop. I think you get to this stage in a quarterback’s career – you’ve seen it done in New England, we’ve seen it done in a lot of places – it’s time to start thinking about drafting a quarterback. When the opportunity came to get a really good one, I think you have to jump on it and take it.
“This really doesn’t change things in a sense that we’re going to go with Joe, and Joe’s going to roll. I can’t wait for the season to start. But when you add a talented player like this who can come in and play if he needs to, and win for us, that’s a big plus.”
By all accounts, Flacco is fully healthy heading into the OTAs. In addition, general manager Ozzie Newsome has provided Flacco with more weapons with several key signings.
The Ravens inked recievers John Brown and Michael Crabtree as free agents. Then, the Ravens signed wide receiver Willie Snead to a two-year offer sheet that the New Orleans Saints declined to match.
The Ravens added a pair of tight ends — Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews — in this year’s NFL Draft that will provide Flacco with a pair of sure-handed pass catchers. They also drafted New Mexico receiver Jaleel Scott in the fourth round, who is a big target at 6-1, 218 pounds.
So, there are pieces in place for Flacco to be successful. If he struggles, the fans will inevitably be clamoring for the Lamar Jackson era to start sooner than later.
Jackson has remained humble through the process and is looking forward to learning under Flacco. A young quarterback could benefit by easing into the starting position and Jackson is open to that strategy.
“I’m trying to learn. He’s a Super Bowl-winning quarterback,” Jackson said. “Like I said in other media interviews – if you win the Super Bowl, you’re the G.O.A.T to me. You led your team to a Super bowl, so I’m going to try to learn as much as I can from Joe Flacco.”
Those are flattering words.
But how much will Flacco be willing to teach his eventual successor?
