Out with the old, in with the slightly younger (but still old)? That’s what could potentially happen if Aaron Rodgers decides to call it a career. According to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche that would put Joe Flacco in play for the Steelers.
“Someone like Joe Flacco, he’s gonna have some options,” Wyche said on The Insiders Sunday evening. “One of those could be Atlanta. Kevin Stefanski coached him with Cleveland, knows him well. Actually traded him to Cincinnati last year…We also know he could be tied to someplace like Minnesota and then the Pittsburgh Steelers. If one old guy decides not to play, they could come with another old guy to hold it down for at least a season.”
Tom Pelissero reported earlier in the day that Flacco is looking for an opportunity to start, but could return to the Bengals to backup Joe Burrow if no opportunities arise. He’s already said he would be open to playing in Pittsburgh and completing the full AFC North gauntlet with all four teams. It wouldn’t be a sexy move, but Flacco would make at least some sense in Pittsburgh.
He has a similar skill set to late-career Aaron Rodgers as both get the ball out quickly and excel with reading defenses before the snap. Flacco would be inexpensive, and allow the Steelers to get a good look at Will Howard in the preseason before potentially transitioning to him as the starter late in the year.
In six starts last season, Flacco completed 158 of 256 attempts for 1,664 yards, 13 TDs, and four INTs.
The Steelers have barely been talked about by NFL insiders in this free agency cycle so far with the legal tampering period starting in a matter of hours. The fact that the first time they get mentioned is in the same sentence as Joe Flacco should raise some eyebrows.
It was just a few days ago that Rodgers was noncommittal when asked about returning to the Steelers on The Pat McAfee Show. Flacco bested Rodgers last season shortly after joining the Bengals. Now he could potentially replace him in Pittsburgh from one 40-plus QB to the next.
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