The Tampa Bay Buccaneers faithful probably felt lukewarm about the rival Atlanta Falcons replacing the Bucs former flop head coach Raheem Morris with two time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski of Cleveland Browns fame, but they may love the potential for Stefanski to bring Joe Flacco over to Atlanta with him from the great state of Ohio.
Atlanta are guaranteed to cut ties with Kirk Cousins and save on his salary when March 11 officially signals the new league year, and the key task for Stefanski is to turn gunslinger Michael Penix Jr. into a true franchise quarterback. But see, Penix may not be ready for Week 1 due to another severe knee injury, and it's unclear when he will be back despite targeting the first week of the 2026 regular season as his return date.
So the Falcons are going to be in the secondary market for a quarterback. Though there are rumblings that they could be after Tua Tagovailoa if (really, when) the Miami Dolphins finally part ways with him, it is more likely they go for a budget option to spot start for Penix and then make way into being the young signal caller's clipboard holder.
Joe Flacco could follow Kevin Stefanski to Atlanta
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According to [ESPN's Dan Graziano](https://x.com/DanGrazianoESPN), people around league circles in Indianapolis at the Combine told the NFL insider that Flacco is expected to make way to the Falcons this offseason with Stefanski as the emergency starter for Penix in case he can't go in Week 1.
The Bucs 2026 schedule has not been released, so it's unclear if the Bucs would even face Flacco head to head, which would also depend on Penix's recovery timeline. But judging by how Flacco played last year, any starts by him would be a clear downgrade on Penix and Cousins, who memorably tore the Bucs to shreds on Thursday Night Football at the end of the 2025 season.
Now, Flacco had his own memorable primetime game against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers when the Cincinnati Bengals took on their AFC North rivals in an unforgettable Battle of the Olds. Flacco may have won that battle, but he was horrible all season long for both the Browns and Bengals when he did start, looking completely finished with an arm that was beyond shot and even some dreadful decision making that led Cleveland to trade him to a direct division rival; Flacco was so bad that the Browns realized they would be just as bad if their unprepared rookie flier quarterbacks started. And they were right. So the Bucs should be excited for Flacco to join the Falcons and get starts, because those games could put Atlanta behind in the division race.