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O’Halloran: Broncos trading for will be a boon behind the scenes — and bring a sigh of relief for By Ryan O’Halloran The Denver Post February 14, 2019

Ten thoughts for new Broncos Joe Flacco and his 10 career postseason wins: 1. I was guilty of overthinking the Broncos’ plans. I thought Option A might be keeping to begin the season but then giving the 10th overall pick (or higher) a chance to play with an eye toward 2020. Uh, not quite. The Broncos went the Conventional Route. They targeted a veteran quarterback and traded for him. Neat and simple. They also went the Old-School Route. In a developing era of mobile , the Broncos acquired themselves a gunslinger.

2. Flacco was 4-3 all-time against the Broncos (nine , five ). At Mile High, he won 38-35 in January 2013 (playoffs), lost 49-27 in the 2013 season opener and lost 19-13 in the 2015 season opener. The playoff win was memorable. Flacco threw a 70-yard pass with 31 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. The Ravens finished that season by beating San Francisco in the .

3. Flacco is 34 years old. He has never been to the . He lost his job to a rookie last year. But for a fourth-round pick, he is worth the risk … and, really, it’s not a risk. What stands out about him is completion percentage (64.9 and 64.1 his last two full years), his durability (played all 16 games in nine of his 10 years) and his playoff form (10 wins).

4. Flacco should be good for the Broncos behind the scenes. This is a team that will have a first-time (Vic Fangio), play-caller (Rich Scangarello) and quarterbacks coach (T.C. McCartney), second-year players in receivers Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton and running backs and Royce Freeman and a to-be-determined offensive line. Flacco’s input with the game plan from Tuesday-Saturday and his leadership ability off the field will be critical.

5. Flacco has never been the most mobile quarterback (345 rushes for 811 yards) but knows how to slide around the pocket to create time. But his style of play — drop back, stand tall, survey the field — makes rebuilding the offensive line even more important than it was pre-trade. Mike Munchak is the new offensive line coach and the Broncos should trust him to suggest at least three linemen to draft in the opening five rounds.

6. Trading for Flacco opens up the Broncos to do anything they want with the 10th pick. They could trade down with Miami at No. 13 or Washington at No. 15 (both of whom could want a quarterback), picking up extra picks and still getting the player they want. They could stay put and draft a cornerback (Byron Murphy, Greedy Williams or Deandre Baker) or a top available offensive tackle (Jawaan Taylor, Cody Ford or Greg Little).

7. Case Keenum is no longer in the Broncos’ plans. If a team looking for a backup quarterback/mentor, they could offer a late Day 3 pick for Keenum on the condition he re-structures his contract, adding a year or two in exchange for significantly lowering his $21 million cap hit. Keenum had a chance to prove he can be a 16-game starter; now his goal should be to show he can be a No. 2 for the next 6-7 years.

8. What about the Broncos’ backup quarterback situation? remains on the roster. They will have an estimated $28.5 million committed to the position so that should rule out a veteran backup. But maybe the second round? It’s something the Broncos should consider. Even if Elway and Co. feel the 2020 class will be stacked with Tua Tagovailoa, , Jake Fromm, Jacob Eason, etc., the Broncos may not be in a position to even trade up for them.

9. Acquiring Flacco should be a big sigh for Fangio. The last thing he should have wanted in training camp is a quarterback competition, like deciding if Keenum is better than The Drafted Quarterback. Now he can start the offseason program in April knowing Flacco is his trigger man, allowing him to focus on other things.

10. Among the coaches and executives I reached out to Wednesday, the views on Flacco went both ways. One thought Flacco had a “couple years,” of effective football left. Another thought the trade was a “good move for both teams.” But a defensive assistant said Flacco has “very little” left in the tank. Joe Flacco trade: Broncos to acquire Baltimore QB, source says By Ryan O’Halloran The Denver Post February 14, 2019

Determining that acquiring a veteran quarterback instead using a top-10 draft pick on a passer is the quickest way back to AFC West contention, Broncos made the first bold move of the NFL offseason Wednesday.

In a trade that won’t be completed until March 13, the Broncos have agreed to send one of their two 2019 fourth-round picks to the for quarterback Joe Flacco, a source confirmed.

A month before free agency opens, the Broncos addressed the game’s most important position with a player proven in the regular season and playoffs.

Although the trade is not official, a league official said the Broncos are able to meet with Flacco (with the Ravens’ permission) to have a physical exam and discuss his contract.

Flacco, 34, will replace Case Keenum, who lasted one season. Elway met with Keenum to inform him of the trade and the potential course of action. Keenum is likely to be traded or cut, forcing the Broncos to absorb a $10 million dead salary cap hit.

According to the industry website Over The Cap, Flacco is due to make a base salary of $18.5 million this year, and a source said the Broncos do not plan to re-structure the deal that runs through 2021 (base salaries of $20.25 million in 2020 and $24.25 million in 2021). None are guaranteed.

Flacco, who had 12 touchdowns and six interceptions in nine games (4-5 record) last year, will team with new coach Vic Fangio, Rich Scangarello and quarterback coach T.C. McCartney to improve a Broncos’ attack that has been impotent for four years.

Fangio was a Ravens defensive assistant during Flacco’s first two pro seasons. A source said the Broncos’ coaching staff and personnel department met together to watch game video of quarterbacks and the group decision was to pursue Flacco.

Flacco became available when he sustained a hip injury in the Ravens’ ninth game last year and did not re-claim his job once he was healthy. Baltimore is committed to quarterback .

How much does Flacco have left?

“A couple years,” an NFL executive told The Denver Post. “I think he will be a good fit for the Broncos.”

A source said the Broncos and Ravens completed the trade quickly. The Broncos’ urgency to get a trade done was likely because they felt another team was pursuing Flacco.

“Within the last two days,” the source said of when trade talks began. “Seems like a good move for both teams.”

It is a good move for the Ravens, who were able to get a draft pick for Flacco before they released him.

And it appears to be a good move for the Broncos, who will not be boxed into a corner when they draft at No. 10 overall in April. They have their quarterback.

A source said the Broncos believe Flacco is “absolutely a perfect fit for Rich’s offense. Better than (Nick) Foles. Better than the young kids in the draft.”

Two hallmarks of Scangarello’s scheme could be a quarterback comfortable under center (which sets up play-action) and is able and willing to push the football down the field.

“I see an offense that’s willing to take shots,” Scangarello said last month. “(An offense) that’s aggressive but detailed in every way. That takes care of the football, that empowers its players to be the best they can be by putting them in position to be successful.”

Keenum threw 15 interceptions last year (18 touchdowns). In retrospect, Keenum’s fate was sealed last month when Elway told NBC Sports that Keenum is “probably a short-term fix.”

Flacco has 212 career touchdowns and 136 interceptions. Although he has never been selected to the Pro Bowl, he has six years of at least 20 touchdowns and five years of at least 10 wins.

Flacco is 96-67 in the regular season and 10-5 in the postseason. Only New England’s (30) and ’s (13) have more playoff wins among active quarterbacks.

From 2010-14, Flacco was 7-3 in the postseason and his 104.1 was highest among quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts.

Last month, Ravens coach said Flacco’s “value is high. I’m not just saying that. I believe that. Joe can throw the football. … Joe’s ready to roll. You protect Joe, give him some weapons, you’re going to see one of the best quarterbacks in the league.”

The word “rebuilding” is an expletive around the Broncos despite their streak of three consecutive years of missing the playoffs. They could have become creative around the draft to move up and start a rebuild with a rookie quarterback. Instead, they are hoping Flacco will be rejuvenated by the change of teams and he can be a three- or four-year player.

“We always talk about rebuilding, but if I say we’re rebuilding, that sounds like an excuse,” Elway said after firing coach on Dec. 31. “That’s why I don’t like to use that word. Our standards are still the same. We’re still going to come in. … We’ve got a tough division but we can compete there. We’re going to bust our tails to try to get better, try to get back to where we’re competitive and do it (in 2019).”

That process started by acquiring Flacco.

Details behind Broncos acquiring quarterback Joe Flacco for fourth-round draft pick By Mike Klis 9 News February 14, 2019

The have acquired quarterback Joe Flacco from the Baltimore Ravens, a source confirmed to 9NEWS.

Case Keenum is out as the Broncos’ starting quarterback. Broncos general manager John Elway did call Keenum to tell him about the Flacco acquisition before the trade hit the media. The team is expected to either trade or release him. There is an outside chance he stays as a backup, but that involves Keenum agreeing to take a pay cut from his $18 million salary, sources told 9NEWS.

Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported the trade. A source told 9NEWS the Flacco trade will be in exchange for the first of the Broncos’ two fourth-round draft picks in 2019. Before compensatory picks are awarded, the Broncos currently have the 11th pick in the fourth round and the No. 23 overall pick in the fourth round, which they acquired midway through the 2018 season from Houston in a deal for receiver . The Broncos' own fourth-round pick will go to Baltimore, sources tell 9NEWS.

"Big move by Elway,'' , the Broncos' top receiver, said via text to 9News. "Veteran leader who has won the big game. We also have money to spend to in free agency as well. Looking forward to seeing more pieces put into place.''

Flacco, 34, had an impressive 96-67 record in 11 seasons with the Ravens until he was injured and replaced in the second half of the 2019 season by rookie Lamar Jackson. Flacco never got his job back, not even when Jackson struggled mightily in a first-round playoff game, as he got Pipped, as it’s known in sports parlance. (After Wally Pipp’s headache opened up the Yankees’ first base position for Lou “Iron Man” Gehrig.)

The Broncos well know about Flacco’s fantastic exploits in the 2012 postseason. His 70-yard heave to , who got past a stumbling safety , with 31 seconds remaining tied the No. 1- seeded Broncos, 35-35 in a second-round AFC playoff game played in frigid conditions at .

The Ravens won the game, 38-35 in double overtime and Flacco went on to become the MVP of Super Bowl SLVII. Check this out: In the Broncos' 60-year history, they have won just three road playoff games ( to cap the 1986 season and against Kansas City and Pittsburgh in 1997). Flacco has seven road playoff wins in his 11-year career.

After Flacco's terrific 2012 postseason in which he threw 11 touchdown passes against 0 interceptions, he became the NFL’s highest-paid player with a six-year, $120.6 million contract extension that included $30 million in 2013, his first season of the deal.

Flacco has mostly struggled since then, though, with the exception of the 2014 season when he had as his offensive coordinator. Flacco went 10-6 that season and won a playoff game, while throwing 27 touchdown passes against 12 interceptions.

The Broncos’ new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello runs the same type of system as Kubiak, which is why Elway set his sights on Flacco.

Although Flacco is now one of the NFL’s older starting quarterbacks, he has played all 16 games in a season in nine of his 11 years. Sources told 9News the Broncos also discussed the possibility of Philadelphia's Nick Foles, who was also available for trade, but Elway and the team deemed Flacco a better fit for a couple of reasons.

One, Flacco has played extensively under center while Foles was mostly a shotgun-spread QB when he finished strong each of the past two seasons with the Eagles. In the Scangarello West Coast-type offense, the Broncos' center will play from under center plenty.

And two, Flacco was considered a better financial value than Foles, who is expected to command north of $25 million a year. Flacco will make $18.5 million in 2019 – which makes him the NFL’s 10th-highest paid quarterback, a ranking that figures to drop after Foles and the rookie draft class sign their new deals. Flacco is also scheduled to make $20.25 million in 2019 and $24.25 million in 2020. The contract will not be revised. Given the soaring QB market, Flacco's deal is team-friendly.

Keenum? The Broncos have three options. The most logical is trade him and his $18 million salary, of which $7 million is fully guaranteed. Or the Broncos can keep him as a backup, although they would have to get an agreement on a reduced salary – which isn’t likely. Or the Broncos can release him and eat his $7 million guarantee – but also save $11 million.

Joe Flacco still not long-term solution Broncos need at QB By Jeff Legwold ESPN February 14, 2019

Whenever John Elway talks about a deal, contract, player or most anything that crosses his desk for the Denver Broncos, two words almost always sum up how he goes about making the decision.

It comes down to what "makes sense."

For the second time in his tenure as the Broncos' top football executive, Elway has decided to make sense of the quarterback dilemma by securing a former Super Bowl MVP with some health questions.

In 2012, Elway signed , whose playing future was decidedly uncertain at the time after four neck surgeries. The rest is part of Broncos lore: four consecutive division titles in Manning's four seasons, two Super Bowl trips and a win in Manning's final game.

And now, after three years of wandering the quarterback wilderness, three playoff misses and back-to- back seasons of double-digit losses, Elway has a trade in place for Joe Flacco. The Broncos are expected, when everything becomes official, to send a midround pick to the Ravens (expected to be one of their two fourth-round picks) for the Super Bowl XLVII MVP.

But now comes four weeks' worth of public dissection and no public comment from Elway, coach Vic Fangio or anyone else in the organization. The trade cannot become official until March 13, so by league rules, the Broncos cannot talk about the move until then.

And there are plenty of questions still to answer.

Start with: What happens to Case Keenum? A year ago, Elway signed Keenum to a two-year, $36 million deal and said Keenum had a better year in 2017 than , whom the Broncos had also looked at in free agency. Keenum might not have been as good as the Broncos had hoped, but he also played behind an injured offensive line, saw Demaryius Thomas traded in November and lost wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to a season-ending torn Achilles in December.

Keenum, who had hoped to be the Broncos starter long-term, carries a salary-cap charge of $21 million if he’s on the roster for the coming season and would have a bigger cap charge than Flacco’s $18.5 million.

Team sources said Elway spoke with Keenum on Wednesday morning about what has transpired this week, just after the Broncos and Ravens narrowed the terms on a Flacco trade. And in the coming weeks and months, the Broncos could try to trade Keenum, release him or, yes, keep him.

The Broncos have used four different starting quarterbacks over the last two seasons, missed the playoffs for the last three seasons and have no QB prospect they drafted on the roster. And Flacco has had back and hip troubles in recent seasons, so keeping Keenum is not off the table.

The Broncos must pay Keenum $7 million of his $18 million base salary whether he’s on the roster or not. Also, the salary-cap savings if Keenum is released ($11 million) and the "dead money" hit -- salary-cap charge for a player no longer on the roster -- of $10 million are roughly the same.

The Broncos also have the No. 10 pick of the draft, with picks in the upper third of the second and third rounds as well. So quarterback should, and will, get a long look from the team in the buildup to April.

In short, Flacco’s arrival, just like Keenum’s a year ago, is not a long-term solution for the Broncos. Flacco turned 34 last month and lost his starting job after an injury this past season. Despite Elway’s continued resistance to saying he is rebuilding, the Broncos eventually have to have a plan that goes beyond the upcoming season at their most important position.

"We always talk about rebuilding, but if I say we're 'rebuilding,' that sounds like an excuse," Elway said last month. "That’s why I don’t like to use that word, because it sounds like an excuse. Our standards are still the same. We're still going to come in, we're going to go into this offseason and do the best we can to try to get better football players and try to get to where next year we can go into training camp and we're ready to compete for a playoff spot. … To me, a rebuild sounds like an excuse, and I'm not going to make any excuses."

Elway is always in what he calls win "from now on" mode, and Flacco's arrival is more proof of that. And while it might be the fix the Broncos want in 2019, quarterback remains their biggest question mark beyond that. Grading the Joe Flacco trade from Ravens to Broncos: How did Denver get here? By Bill Barnwell ESPN February 14, 2019

Let's grade the trade that sent former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco from the Ravens to the Broncos, which reportedly cost Denver a midround pick in the 2019 NFL draft:

Denver Broncos: D+ The news that the Broncos are dealing for Flacco is a reminder that the things we've known about the league for years are still true.

To start, nobody knows anything about evaluating quarterbacks. If anybody should be an expert on which quarterbacks actually have the "it" factor and are about to turn into superstars, it should be John Elway, who is now the Broncos' general manager.

The Hall of Famer won two Super Bowls as part of a glittering 16-year career under center for the Broncos. He took over a floundering Denver team after the disastrous Josh McDaniels era and immediately led it back to the postseason. Elway nailed his two biggest decisions in replacing with Peyton Manning (which was more controversial at the time than it seems now) and by swapping out John Fox after a 12-4 season for Gary Kubiak. The Broncos won Super Bowl 50 the following season.

Everything else Elway has done with the quarterback position has led to Wednesday's move. He used a second-round pick on in 2012, drafting the 6-foot-7 Arizona State product 18 picks before the Seahawks chose Russell Wilson. Elway tried to retain Osweiler with a significant offer north of $12 million per season in free agency, only to be outbid by the Texans. When that failed, Elway traded up in the first round of the 2016 draft to grab 6-foot-7 Memphis quarterback , who couldn't beat out 6-foot-3 seventh-round pick in two chances for the starting job before being released.

Elway broke from type briefly after Lynch bombed to a nearly unprecedented degree by signing 6-foot-1 Case Keenum in free agency last year. Keenum didn't live up to the heights he reached with the Vikings in 2017, unsurprisingly, but he also delivered the best season the Broncos have gotten from a quarterback since Manning in 2014. Keenum posted a 46.9 QBR on a team whose two best offensive linemen (Ronald Leary and ) combined for 15 starts. The Broncos traded Demaryius Thomas in midseason and then lost Emmanuel Sanders to a torn Achilles for the final month of the season. Keenum wasn't great, but he was about what Elway & Co. should have expected.

All of that brings us to the next lessons. In the NFL, shorter quarterbacks like Keenum have to constantly prove they can play. Tall quarterbacks get chance after chance to prove they can't play. And more important, when NFL coaches and executives are on the ropes, they're going to turn to what they know or what has worked in the past.

Come on down, Joe Flacco! The Broncos traded a midround pick to the Ravens for their deposed 6-foot-6 starter, who lost his job to Lamar Jackson and immediately saw the Ravens make a run to the postseason. ESPN's noted that Flacco got enthusiastic recommendations from new Broncos coach Vic Fangio and former team executive Kubiak, each of whom was in Baltimore with Flacco earlier in his career.

Flacco has posted exactly one above-average season by passer rating or net yards per attempt since his incredible run to the Super Bowl in 2012. His Total QBR over that six-year stretch is 53.8; among the 20 passers with 2,000 or more pass attempts over that time frame, the only quarterbacks Flacco beats out are Eli Manning, , Derek Carr and Blake Bortles. (Keenum's QBR over that time on 1,844 attempts is 51.5.)

Flacco has 5,670 career pass attempts with an ANY/A+ of 94. He has been a slightly below-average quarterback over the course of his 11-year run. Having turned 34 in January, it's hard to believe he is suddenly going to get better over a multiyear run, especially given the lack of talent the Broncos have on offense.

It will now become more difficult for the Broncos to improve that talent. In addition to sending a midround pick to the Ravens for Flacco -- and Denver does have two fourth-round picks in this draft -- the Broncos are inheriting the three years and $63 million remaining on Flacco's onerous contract with the Ravens. That contract is unguaranteed, so the Broncos could get out of Flacco's contract after one season if things go wrong.

In 2019, though, the Broncos will add $18.5 million to their cap, which leaves them with $18.3 million in space per Spotrac. Denver can create $10.3 million in room by releasing the injured Sanders, but it probably needs to add at least one veteran wideout, if not a tight end to go with him. The Broncos need to find a way to bring back Paradis, their star center, given that they're already weak up front.

They're also stuck with a minimum of $10 million on their cap for Keenum, who has $7 million of his $18 million base salary guaranteed in addition to $3 million of his prorated signing bonus. Keenum will have no trade value at that $18 million figure and will likely be released by the Broncos unless he takes a huge pay cut, which wouldn't make sense.

Even more unfortunate: The combo of Flacco and Keenum creates total uncertainty at the position beyond 2019, thus making it a pretty good time to draft a quarterback, even if it's not in Round 1. As noted above, that has not gone well for Elway to this point.

Denver will have $28.5 million on its 2019 cap for Keenum and Flacco, with no quarterback of the future on the roster. It's hard to fathom how the Broncos got here, but it's an incredibly unenviable position.

Baltimore Ravens: B+ The Ravens have to be thrilled to get a midround pick for Flacco, who was out of their plans and likely to be released unless Baltimore found a trade partner. The compensation suggests there were multiple teams in for him or that new general manager Eric DeCosta managed to persuade the Broncos to negotiate against themselves. The Ravens will eat $16 million in dead money on their 2019 cap and then be rid of one of the worst contracts in modern NFL history.

Baltimore needs to find a new backup for second-year quarterback Jackson, and it will presumably look for a player who more closely matches his skill set. The obvious fit is , who came up in the Ravens system and had his best run as a pro under current Ravens offensive coordinator in Buffalo. Will Joe Flacco trade be another quarterback whiff for John Elway? By Lindsay Jones The Athletic February 14, 2019

Of course, it was John Elway who made the first bold move of the NFL offseason. And of course, it was a move for a quarterback, this time, arranging to trade with the Ravens for 34-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco, a move that will become official March 13.

This is what John Elway the general manager does in his seemingly endless search to find the Denver Broncos a starting quarterback: He just keeps swinging. But this move has the makings of yet another miss.

Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll hear Elway and the Broncos, including new head coach Vic Fangio, talk about how adding Flacco will provide stability to the offense, how Flacco will fit into the West Coast offensive system the Broncos will run under first-year coordinator Rich Scangarello, and how Flacco is an upgrade over Case Keenum — last year’s big free-agent prize. They’ll say that if Flacco can just play smart football and not commit turnovers, he’ll be good enough to lead the Broncos to the postseason.

I’m not buying it.

The fact is, the Broncos aren’t just a competent quarterback away from the playoffs. They no longer have a championship-caliber defense, and they are further away from the postseason now than they were at any point since Peyton Manning retired after the team’s Super Bowl 50 win three years ago.

There are plenty of reasons for this: The epic miss on quarterback Paxton Lynch, whom the Broncos moved up in the first round to draft in 2016; the wrong choice in head coach in 2017 in Vance Joseph, whom Elway fired in January; the decision to not re-sign defensive coordinator Wade Philips and poor drafts in 2016 and 2017 that left the team with little depth at many key positions, especially offensive line.

And while the Broncos have cycled through quarterback after quarterback, from the failure of the experiment in training camp of 2016, to the quarterback carousel of Trevor Siemian, Lynch and Brock Osweiler in 2017, to the dud of a season from Keenum last year, the Chiefs and Chargers have made significant leaps forward in the AFC West. Only a Raiders missed field goal in Week 2 kept the Broncos from being swept by the Raiders last year.

Elway refuses to use the word rebuilding; he believes the Broncos are better than that and should have higher standards. But good teams and stable franchises don’t cycle through five head coaches in 10 years and four starting quarterbacks in three seasons, and it would be better for the Broncos’ long-term future if Elway acknowledged that rebuilding doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Admitting the Broncos need a reboot would be an acknowledgment of the past errors and a commitment to new philosophies. It would be a sign that, when Elway spoke in January about the need for the Broncos’ offense to evolve, he meant it.

Instead, his first personnel move of 2019 was more of the same, yet another veteran quarterback who fits the physical mold of what Elway clearly desires in his passers. Flacco, who turned 34 last month, is 6-foot- 6 (slightly taller than Manning, and slightly shorter than Lynch and Osweiler), with a strong arm for downfield passing (Broncos fans surely remember his deep bombs in the Ravens’ divisional-round playoff upset in Denver six years ago) and comfort playing under center.

Even if he is better than Keenum, who completed 62 percent of his passes and threw 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 2018, it’s hard to picture how much better the Broncos are just by making this swap — immediately for 2019 and into the future.

The biggest question once the Flacco trade becomes official next month is what this move means for their draft in April, when they own the No. 10 pick. It should not preclude the Broncos from drafting a quarterback with that first-round pick, but it certainly makes it less likely. Having signed Keenum to a two- year deal last March, the Broncos didn’t move up from No. 5 to select a quarterback and, instead, with and off the board, took pass-rusher . Chubb had a stellar rookie season and is one of three elite players on the Broncos defense (along with and cornerback Chris Harris Jr.), but the fact the Broncos are still looking for their long-term answer at quarterback is a reminder of how risky it is to pass on a quarterback when drafting in the top 10.

A hard and realistic look at the Broncos’ roster, one he built, should show Elway that even after adding Flacco, he must keep swinging. Why the Broncos plan to trade for Ravens veteran QB Joe Flacco By Nicki Jhabvala The Athletic February 14, 2019

A month before the start of free agency and nearly two months before the NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos believe they found their answer at quarterback. For now, anyway.

On Wednesday they agreed to acquire 11-year veteran Joe Flacco from the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a fourth-round pick, sources confirmed to The Athletic. The deal cannot be made official until the start of the new league year, on March 13.

The trade, while perplexing on the surface, will create a ripple effect in Denver. Flacco has three years remaining on his contract with base salaries of $18.5 million, $20.3 million and $24.3 million — none of which is guaranteed. (The Ravens eat $16 million in dead money for Flacco’s prorated signing bonus.) Restructuring his contract would provide the Broncos a little more roster flexibility, but according to a source, it is not a foregone conclusion that he will redo his deal.

But his arrival ends the brief starting tenure for Case Keenum. Elway met with Keenum on Wednesday, per a source, presumably to lay out their options for him. They could keep him with his deal as is to be a backup. They could revise the final year of his deal to lower his cap hit. They could shop him or they could release him outright. The last two options would be costly, however; Keenum has a $21 million cap hit and $10 million in dead money — money that would count against the Broncos’ cap if they trade or cut him.

The biggest question with such a move by the Broncos is simply why? Why acquire a high-priced veteran instead of building through the draft? And why Flacco, a 34-year-old quarterback who hasn’t won a playoff game in four years?

The answer is multifaceted.

New head coach Vic Fangio was the Ravens’ linebackers coach for four seasons, including Flacco’s first two seasons with the team in 2008-09, and has first-hand experience of working alongside him. In Flacco, the Broncos see a consistent and available player, not to mention a top quarterback in playoff wins. He has started every game in nine of his 11 seasons in Baltimore, was named MVP of Super Bowl XLVII and is still remembered in Denver as the orchestrator of the . But more significant — from the Broncos’ perspective, anyway — are his 10 playoff wins, the third-most among active quarterbacks behind Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger.

Acquiring a quarterback with Flacco’s playoff experience is a signal Elway and his new staff believe their team isn’t too far away from returning to the playoffs. Rebuilding has never been in Elway’s repertoire and he has dismissed the idea in years past.

“You can call it whatever you want. To me, a rebuild sounds like an excuse and I’m not going to make any excuses,” he said at the end of last season. “We’re going to bust our tails to try to get better, try to get back to where we’re competitive and do it next year.”

Plus, Flacco gives them options for the rest of the offseason.

The move is the first for the Broncos at the quarterback position this year, but may not necessarily be the last. In addition to deciding the future of Keenum, they also hold nine draft picks, including the No. 10 selection, and could very well bring in a rookie. But no longer do they have to select a quarterback out of desperation this year, which they did in 2016 when they traded up for Paxton Lynch. (Lynch failed to win the starting job, was beat out for the backup job last season by and is no longer on the roster.)

The Broncos have a number of holes to fill across the roster and could now decide to use their first pick to fill another void and take the best player available. Maybe a cornerback. Maybe a linebacker. Maybe a lineman.

The acquisition of Flacco does, however, buck the trend of finding more dynamic quarterbacks who can pick up yards with their feet as well as with their arms. The Chiefs found that (and more) in Patrick Mahomes, the Seahawks have long had that in Russell Wilson and the Ravens replaced Flacco with a younger, more mobile quarterback in Lamar Jackson. In the class of 2019, perhaps no quarterback fits the new mold better than Kyler Murray, the Heisman winner who recently announced his commitment to football over a career in baseball.

But in recent conversations with reporters, Elway made it clear a quarterback change was imminent. Comments about Keenum’s future with the team was followed with a qualifier: “He’s our quarterback for now,” Elway said at season’s end. And in a recent interview with Peter King of NBC Sports, Elway said that Keenum is “probably a short-term fix,” indicating they would make a change in the quarterback room sooner rather than later.

“It’s not something that’s affecting me in my preparation and if I’m ready to go as a football player and what my job is,” Keenum said in response. “It’s not affecting my job. For me, I take more of what my coaches say and the meetings that we’ve had. I had a great meeting with John at the end of the year. We all have to be better.”

To which Elway has agreed.

But over the years he has laid a blueprint for what he believes is the ideal quarterback.

“I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been doing this job as far as what certain quarterbacks have success with,” he said before the 2018 draft. “The bottom line is that I believe the one thing is that you got to be able to win from the pocket. … You can win games but you can’t win championships unless you have the ability to win it from the pocket. Then if you can get out and move around and create, and do those types of things then that’s an added bonus.”

In Denver, Flacco will work with a first-time offensive coordinator in Rich Scangarello, whose system is founded on the one runs in San Francisco. Scangarello spent three of his four years as an NFL assistant alongside Shanahan and has built a short but compact history of developing quarterbacks of varying strengths and experience levels. He helped acclimate to Shanahan’s system following a midseason trade in 2017. He also worked with and C.J. Beathard before helping Nick Mullens turn into one of the league’s surprise stories in 2018 as an undrafted third-stringer turned starter.

The hope is that his ability to work with veterans and rookies alike will help the Broncos for the short and long term at quarterback.

The expectation is that his system will be a perfect fit for Flacco.

“I see an offense that’s willing to take shots,” Scangarello said last month. “(One) that’s aggressive but is detailed in every way. That takes care of the football, that empowers its players to be the best that they can be by putting them in a position to be successful. I think our offense empowers the quarterback to have success and can adapt to his skill set.”

Denver Broncos prepared to trade for Ravens QB Joe Flacco By Troy Renck KMGH February 14, 2019

Looking to upgrade their quarterback position with a longer-term solution, the Broncos have agreed to trade for Baltimore veteran Joe Flacco, according to multiple sources.

Case Keenum is out after one forgettable season. And Flacco, who delivered one of the Broncos’ most painful losses in the 2012 playoffs, is heading to Denver, barring any snags.

The trade cannot completed until the first day of the league year on March 13. The deal will likely be in exchange for a fourth-round pick in this year's draft, and they have an extra one after acquiring one from Houston for receiver Demaryius Thomas. Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP, lost his starting job to rookie Lamar Jackson last season, leaving his future in doubt in Baltimore. He threw 12 touchdowns and six interceptions a year ago before a right hip injury, and Jackson’s emerge supplanted him.

While it was thought the 34-year-old Flacco would rework his contract to facilitate the deal, that won't be necessary, per sources. His $18.5 million salary ranks 21st among quarterbacks in cap hits. He has $63 million remaining over the next three years, but only 2019 is guaranteed. So the Broncos believe they have traded Thomas for Flacco, and upgraded over Keenum. The Broncos moved quickly over the past few days because another team was also pursuing Flacco. This doesn't preclude the Broncos from taking a quarterback in the draft, but it allows Denver to remain open-minded, particularly if it believes 2020 is a better quarterback draft class.

Why Flacco? Well if you wanted the Broncos to go young and mobile, he is not that. He is a proven pocket passer, Elway's preference, especially in the postseason. And this move suggests Elway remains more tightly focused on winning now -- or over the next three years -- than rebuilding. Flacco is entering his 12th season. He hasn't thrown more than 20 touchdown passes since 2014. However, he has played his best when it matters most. He is 10-5 in the playoffs, ranking third in postseason victories among active quarterbacks behind Tom Brady (30) and Ben Roethlisberger (13). And Flacco, last year nothwithstanding, is durable. He has started all 16 games in nine of his 11 seasons. Also, Broncos coach Vic Fangio, who has coached against Flacco and has strong contacts in the Ravens organization, was involved in the discussions and was on board with bringing in the veteran.

Denver still owes Keenum a guaranteed $7 million this season. His time appeared scarce after general manager John Elway called him a “short-term fix” this offseason. The Broncos can keep Keenum as the backup, or more likely, trade or release him. He could have a trade market, perhaps to the where he worked well with coach in Minnesota. Elway spoke with Keenum on Wednesday morning about the deal and possible scenarios going forward.

Flacco drew praise for how he handled his demotion in Baltimore, leaving Ravens coach John Harbaugh to insist Flacco could still help another team moving forward. He is known for his big arm. Flacco played well in a win over the Broncos last season, completing 25 of 40 for 277 yards and one touchdown.

The Broncos are seeking to end a three-year playoff drought. It's difficult to win without a solid performance from the league's most important position. Tuesday, Elway took another spin at landing the right guy since Peyton Manning walked out of the building.

AP Source: Broncos to acquire Joe Flacco from Ravens By Arnie Stapleton Associated Press February 14, 2019

Joe Flacco has gone from Denver Broncos tormentor to savior.

The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to trade the veteran quarterback to the Broncos in exchange for a fourth-round pick in this year's NFL draft, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Wednesday because neither team announced the deal, which was first reported by ESPN. NFL rules prohibit teams from discussing trades until the start of the league year on March 13.

Flacco, the MVP of the 2013 Super Bowl following a miraculous win at top-seeded Denver, became expendable in Baltimore with the emergence of rookie Lamar Jackson, the former Louisville star who led the Ravens into the playoffs after Flacco got hurt.

The Broncos again needed an upgrade at QB after Case Keenum's middling debut in Denver, where a 6- 10 finish led general manager John Elway to turn to Vic Fangio , his fourth head coach in six seasons.

Now, he's landed his seventh quarterback since Peyton Manning's tearful retirement following Denver's win in Super Bowl 50.

The others all bombed: draft picks Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly, trade acquisition Mark Sanchez and Keenum, who threw for 18 TDs and a career-high 15 interceptions last season to go with a career-high 34 sacks.

Flacco has three years and $63 million left on his contract with a salary of $18.5 million next season, which is 10th-highest in the NFL at his position. His cap hit of that same amount is 21st among quarterbacks in the league.

The Broncos could trade Keenum and save $18 million next season. Releasing him would produce $11 million in savings but cost them $7 million. Keenum signed a two-year, $36 million deal in Denver last season with $25 million guaranteed.

Either way, Elway's deal for Flacco continues his build-but-don't-rebuild ethos. The Broncos have a solid core of young stars and a still superior defense led by Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr. that Elway believes can keep up with the Chargers and Chiefs in the AFC West with the right quarterback leading the way.

They wanted a proven veteran such as Flacco or Nick Foles, another Super Bowl MVP.

At 34, Flacco is four years older than Foles but he's been durable, starting all 16 games in nine of his 11 NFL seasons. The other years he started nine and 10 games. Foles has started more than eight games just twice in his seven NFL seasons.

Fangio also knows Flacco well, having served on Baltimore's coaching staff during the quarterback's first two seasons there.

Facilitating the deal for Flacco was the extra fourth-round pick Elway had at his disposal from the Demaryius Thomas trade to Houston last fall.

In Flacco, the Broncos are turning to a quarterback who broke their hearts six years ago.

Denver was the top seed after going 13-3 in Manning's first season in Denver and the Broncos took an 11- game winning streak into their divisional round playoff game against Baltimore.

In the waning seconds of regulation, Flacco connected with Jacoby Jones on a 70-yard touchdown pass to force overtime in a game the Ravens won 38-35 in double overtime. Safety Rahim Moore went for the instead of the tackle and mistimed his leap, allowing Jones to catch the ball at the 20-yard line and trot into the end zone with the tying touchdown.

Flacco, who turned 34 last month, has played all 11 of his seasons with the Ravens after being selected 18th overall in the 2008 NFL draft. He started immediately as a rookie and was Super Bowl MVP after the 2012 season, guiding the Ravens to a victory over San Francisco in the championship game during a playoff run that included that "Mile High Miracle" in Denver.

Flacco was the starter last season until he injured his right hip in a loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 4. The Ravens had a the following week, and Jackson took over for the still-ailing Flacco on Nov. 18 against Cincinnati. Jackson produced wins over the Bengals, Raiders and Falcons before a 27-24 loss to Kansas City on Dec. 9.

Flacco was healthy enough to return the following week, but coach John Harbaugh said Jackson would be his starter in a matchup against Tampa Bay. Jackson retained the job, going 6-1 to get the Ravens into the postseason before coming up short in a first-round loss to the .

The Ravens went 106-72 with Flacco as a starter, including the postseason. He is the team career leader in attempts (5,670), completions (3,499), yards (38,245) and touchdowns (212). His 10 playoff victories since 2008 rank second behind Tom Brady among active quarterbacks.

Flacco and Harbaugh arrived in Baltimore together in 2008. They proceeded to reach the playoffs in each of the next five years. Flacco was the first starting quarterback since the 1970 merger to win a playoff game in each of his first five years. Russell Wilson duplicated the feat from 2012-16.

During Baltimore's 2012 run to the Super Bowl, he threw 11 touchdown passes without an interception, his most notable being the 70-yarder to Jones in the double OT win.

The Broncos eventually recovered from that devastating defeat to win a Super Bowl in Manning's final game. But they've gone just 20-28 since then while churning through quarterbacks, coaches and offensive coordinators.

The Broncos lost their final four games last season to finish 6-10, marking their first back-to-back losing seasons since the Nixon Administration. Broncos turn over coach/quarterback duo again By Arnie Stapleton Associated Press February 14, 2019

In just about every season he's been in charge of football operations in Denver, John Elway has had to address major concerns at one or both of the two most consequential positions in the NFL: head coach and quarterback.

This offseason, he made changes at both spots, hiring Vic Fangio and acquiring Joe Flacco in a trade that will become official next month when the league's new year begins.

Here's a look at Elway's head coaches and quarterbacks:

—2011 (Coach No. 1, QBs No. 1, 2).

Elway hires John Fox, but a trade of QB fizzles and Orton wins the job in camp. A month later, the Broncos appear to join the "Suck for Luck" crusade for Stanford standout Andrew Luck but Tim Tebow sparks a run that wins the middling AFC West at 8-8, and his 80-yard TD toss to Demaryius Thomas in OT stuns the Steelers in the playoffs. The giddiness subsides in a 45-10 loss at New England. Soon, Tebowmania would be replaced by Manningmania.

—2012: (QB No. 3).

After luring the biggest free agent prize in NFL history in Peyton Manning, Elway trades Tebow to the Jets. He has Russell Wilson in for a pre-draft visit but instead selects Brock Osweiler as Manning's understudy. Manning leads Denver to a 13-3 record and the AFC's top seed. But Flacco's 70-yard TD toss over safety Rahim Moore in the final minute of regulation and Fox's "take a knee edict" to play for overtime doom Manning to another early playoff exit.

—2013:

Manning again leads the Broncos to a 13-3 mark on the strength of an NFL-record 606-point season but injuries catch up to them in a stinging 43-8 loss to Seattle in the Super Bowl. Sifting through the rubble of yet another Super Bowl blowout, Elway signs free agents , T.J. Ward, DeMarcus Ware and Emmanuel Sanders, and that foursome becomes the building blocks for a championship team two years later.

—2014:

Manning leads Denver to a 12-4 record but he starts to show signs of aging and gets hurt down the stretch. Again he's one-and-done in the playoffs, this time losing to his old team, the Colts. Afterward, Manning admits he's unsure if he'll return in 2015. Fox won't. He and Elway agree to a mutual split the next day and Fox heads to Chicago. Manning decides to put off retirement but takes a $4 million pay cut with the chance to earn it all back, which he will.

—2015: (Coach No. 2, QB 4).

Elway lures Gary Kubiak back to Denver as Fox's replacement and his former backup and ex-coordinator maneuvers the Broncos through a minefield of issues in another 12-4 season. Kubiak benches an injured Manning for Osweiler for seven games but brings him back for the playoffs. Denver's defense carries Manning across the finish line with a 24-10 win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50, the franchise's third title, all with Elway at the helm as either QB or GM.

—2016: (QBs 5, 6 and 7).

Manning retires a month after the Super Bowl and Osweiler bolts for Houston in free agency, sending Elway on a long search for a worthy successor. He trades for Mark Sanchez and moves up in the draft to select Paxton Lynch out of Memphis only to watch the steady Trevor Siemian, his 2015 seventh-rounder, beat them both out. The Broncos, however, stumble to 9-7, missing the playoffs and Kubiak steps down afterward.

—2017: (Coach No. 3).

Elway interviews Kyle Shanahan but chooses Vance Joseph as his head coach, something he'd quickly regret, flirting with the idea of re-hiring before the year is even out. For the second straight summer, Siemian beats out Lynch and Osweiler returns to Denver after failures in Houston and Cleveland. All three quarterbacks take turns starting in a dismal 5-11 season. Elway decides to keep Joseph rather than hiring his old coach for a reunion tour.

—2018: (QB No. 8 and 9).

Elway signs free agent Case Keenum to a two-year, $36 million deal and trades Siemian to the Vikings to make way for Lynch to win the backup job. But Lynch can't even beat out another seventh-rounder in Chad Kelly and gets cut after starting just four games in two seasons. The Broncos jettison Kelly, too, after his trespassing arrest at midseason following a single snap, a kneel-down. A 6-10 finish costs Joseph his job after two years.

—2019: (Coach No. 4, QB. No. 10).

Elway hires Fangio, 60, who's never been a head coach. Kubiak, who has been a special adviser in the front office, wants to return to a coaching role, but his desire to bring along former lieutenants and is a deal-breaker. Fangio instead hires 49ers QB coach Rich Scangarello as his offensive coordinator and Kubiak leaves for the Vikings. Elway agrees to send the fourth-round draft pick he got in the Demaryius Thomas trade to the Ravens for Flacco.

Dear John, Don't stop at Joe Flacco By Paul Klee Colorado Springs Gazette February 14, 2019

OK, then. If this is going to be that kind of Broncos party, let’s pour another and keep it going.

Don’t stop at Joe Flacco.

Direct message Le’Veon Bell. See what he’s up to these days. Poke around and get a figure on what it would cost to bring the ex-Steelers star to the Mile High. Landon Collins, Giants safety, how you doin’? And with the 10th pick in the draft find the biggest, baddest offensive lineman available. Draft him. Feed him red meat.

Oh, there’s more, because there must be more.

Maybe you noticed, but Colorado doesn’t do halfway. We legalize what once put us in high school detention. When the ski lift doesn’t climb high enough, we rent a chopper, baby. Jumping without looking first is ingrained in our DNA.

The Broncos are a pretty decent representation of our state in that way. While they don’t always make the smartest decisions — Who does? Pipe down, Patriots — they also don’t stand pat and dilly-dally around when most organizations would. They go big — and now.

So go big — and now. “Rebuild” flew the coop when John Elway’s front office agreed to a trade for Flacco on Wednesday. All those nifty, thrifty ideas of starting from scratch were burned to the ground with one aggressive, risky, very Elway move.

You don’t trade a fourth-round draft pick for a 34-year-old quarterback to play for the future. You trade for a quarterback with a 10-5 playoff record when you aspire to reach the playoffs.

Smart? Dunno yet. Ballsy? Always.

The Broncos upgraded at quarterback. Not a lot, but a little. They didn’t trade for Tom Brady, Russell Wilson or Patrick Mahomes. They also didn’t stand pat on Case Keenum, a pedestrian on the sidewalk or under center, for one snap longer than necessary.

Don’t like it? Then you’re following the wrong team. This is exactly what the Broncos do. And if the first step to recovery is admitting there is a problem, by firing Vance Joseph and Keenum the Broncos admitted they had a problem. They’re attempting to correct it — and now.

“I remember his first (offseason training) sessions as a rookie, I said to John Harbaugh: ‘You have your horse to ride for 10 years, at least,’” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said of Flacco at the Super Bowl in 2013. “I felt he could be a great quarterback in the league and I still feel that way.”

Flacco isn’t a great quarterback. He’s an OK quarterback. He’s 42-41 in his past five seasons after starting his career 54-26 with a . (Prepare your hearts for an endless loop of the Mile High Mistake from Flacco to Jacoby Jones. One man’s opinion: it’s too soon, still.) Like we were saying, he’s OK. But he’s not Keenum, and that’s good enough for now. It speaks volumes that Elway watched Keenum for a full season and Fangio game-planned against Keenum in the NFC North and their mutual conclusion was trading for Joe Flacco.

The most important part of this totally bizarre equation is that Flacco’s contract should not preclude the Broncos from taking a quarterback of the future in the draft. That was the goal — either in 2019 or the quarterback-rich draft of 2020 — and it still must be. But they are not married to the Flacco era, which includes three more years on his contract, none of which is guaranteed.

There’s a lot of talk around these hills about Elway’s legacy. Aside from halting airplane travel, it’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard in 2019. What, seven Super Bowls isn’t enough for you guys?

But there’s one sure-fire way to make certain there is nothing but sunshine and seashells when Elway decides a 10 a.m. tee time trumps the 10th draft pick: draft the quarterback who will be slinging touchdowns long after the haters are slinging barbs at Elway’s time as general manager.

Rule No. 1: Trading for Flacco can’t prevent the Broncos from finding the next Elway or Peyton Manning in the draft, the top priority here.

Rule No. 2: Go 2014 on these fools. That’s when Elway attacked free agency with a vengeance and signed DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward and Emmanuel Sanders. Those Broncos were already good. These Broncos are not. Both times demand the Colorado special.

Go big or go home. Klee blog: New Broncos quarterback is Joe Flacco, and that's how bad Case Keenum was By Paul Klee Colorado Springs Gazette February 14, 2019

If you wondered how bad Case Keenum was, the Broncos have traded for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

That's how bad Case Keenum was.

Flacco's 34. He's the only quarterback since 2002 not named Brady, Manning or Roethlisberger to lead an AFC team to the Super Bowl. Last season he lost his starting spot in Baltimore to rookie Lamar Jackson.

On the coldest night in Broncos history, Flacco authored the Mile High Mistake. The Broncos' mission now is to make sure this isn't the Mile High Mistake Part II: they still must spend a high draft pick on a quarterback.

It's clear the Broncos believe they are closer to being a contender than recent results suggest. Rebuild? What rebuild? It's also a sign general manager John Elway is about to attack free agency like he did in 2014 in an attempt to squeeze every ounce from the Von Miller era.

While some would argue it's still too soon to recap the crushing playoff loss after the 2012 season, the Broncos turned to Flacco to help stop the rare three-year playoff drought in Colorado. And here's the QB chronology if you're keeping score at home: Tebow, Manning, Osweiler, Siemian, Lynch, Keenum, Flacco.

If nothing else, the Broncos certainly have covered the gamut.

Both Elway and head coach Vic Fangio offered plenty of clues that Keenum was history here. "Right now Case is our quarterback," said Fangio, who had keen insight on Keenum after game-planning against the Vikings in 2017.

And the Broncos officially have admitted they made mistakes on Keenum and Vance Joseph.

The Broncos reportedly gave up a fourth-round pick in exchange for Flacco. Last year they traded Demaryius Thomas for a fourth pick.

Denver also hired an offensive coordinator in Rich Scangarello whose background is in the Shanahan/Kubiak-style offense where Flacco has operated for over a decade with the Ravens.

Flacco was 42-41 in his past five seasons after going 54-26 his first six seasons. And maybe this was the kicker: the Broncos already have a poster of Flacco to decorate Mile High.

The Broncos hired a coach who will be 61 when the regular season starts and traded for a 34-year-old quarterback. They are emphasizing the win-now part of the equation. They must not forget the win-from- now-on part. Keenum was not the answer to any of the Broncos' questions, and trading for Flacco should not deter Denver from drafting a quarterback — even with the No. 10 pick.

Joe Flacco is a Delaware Blue Hen, a Super Bowl champion, a man who's banked $147 million in football, the neighbor who's glad to share his snow shovel, a little boring. Now he's the Broncos starting quarterback.

Joe Flacco's NFL statistics and highlights By STAFF Colorado Springs Gazette February 14, 2019

The Baltimore Ravens have an agreement in principle to trade former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos, according to multiple reports Wednesday.

Flacco, 34, started nine games for the Ravens in 2018 before being replaced by first-round draft pick Lamar Jackson. Flacco threw for 2,465 yards (273.9 per game) with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.

He passed for a career-high 4,317 yards in 2016 and has thrown for at least 3,500 yards in seven of his 11 NFL seasons.

Flacco and the Ravens beat the Broncos in the AFC championship game following the 2012 regular season.

Baltimore beat Peyton Manning and the Broncos at Mile High in double overtime after forcing OT with Flacco's last-minute 70-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones. Baltimore won, 38-35.

The Ravens beat the in the Super Bowl.

Flacco was played at Delaware after transferring from Pittsburgh. He was drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft.

Year-by-year Flacco stats

2008 - 257 completions, 428 attempts, 2,971 yards, 14 TD, 12 Int

2009 - 315-499-3,613-21-12

2010 - 306-489-3,622-25-10

2011 - 312-542-3,610-20-12

2012 - 317-531-3,817-22-10

2013 - 362-614-3,912-19-22

2014 - 344-554-3,986-27-12

2015 - 266-413-2,791-14-12

2016 - 436-672-4,317-20-15

2017 - 352-549-3,141-18-13

2018 - 232-379-2,465-12-6

Source: Pro Football Reference

Reports: Broncos to trade for quarterback Joe Flacco By Aric DiLalla DenverBroncos.com February 14, 2019

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and several other media reports, the Broncos have agreed in principle to trade for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.

The Broncos cannot comment on or confirm the reported trade.

Any reported trade — and the corresponding compensation — cannot be made official until the new year begins on March 13.

According to reports, the Broncos are likely to send a fourth-round pick to Baltimore. Denver currently owns two fourth-round selections. They accrued an extra fourth-rounder in October when they traded wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the .

The Delaware product has won 106 career games — including postseason appearances — and thrown for 212 touchdowns and more than 38,000 yards. He has started all 16 games in nine of his 11 seasons as a professional.

Flacco’s finest moments came at the end of the 2012 season as he threw 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions in the postseason to guide the Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII title. He was named Super Bowl MVP following a three-touchdown, zero-interception performance in a win over the 49ers.

Flacco has a 10-5 career postseason record.

The 11-year veteran played in nine games in 2018 — including a Week 3 matchup against the Broncos in Baltimore — before he suffered an injury that forced him out of the lineup. He threw for 2,465 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 61.2 percent of his passes. Before the injury, Flacco was on pace to set career bests for most passing yards and fewest interceptions.

Flacco was cleared later in the year, but the Ravens chose to start rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The Ravens drafted Flacco with the 18th-overall pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Case Keenum — the Broncos’ starter in 2018 — and Kevin Hogan both remain on the Broncos’ roster.

Broncos agree to trade for Joe Flacco in deal with Ravens By Tom Schad USA Today February 14, 2019

The Denver Broncos have agreed to trade for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed Wednesday to USA TODAY Sports' Mike Jones. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be processed until the new league year begins on March 14.

ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report the trade. NFL Network's wrote on that the Ravens will receive "a mid-round pick" in return.

Flacco, 34, spent a decade as the Ravens' starting quarterback and led them to a victory in Super Bowl XLVII, earning MVP honors in the process. The Delaware product has thrown for more than 38,000 yards and 212 touchdowns in his NFL career, and he is due to make $18.5 million in 2019.

The move reinforces that Baltimore is ready to move forward with second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson as the full-time starter after he replaced Flacco midway through last season. Jackson started seven games as a rookie in 2018, throwing for 1,201 yards and six touchdowns while helping lead the Ravens to the playoffs.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh had indicated as much last month when speaking about Flacco's future.

"Joe Flacco is going to play really well in this league," Harbaugh told reporters. "Joe can still play; I think we saw that in the first half of this season. Joe’s going to have a market. A lot of teams are going to want Joe, because they understand that. I’ll be in Joe’s corner, wherever he’s at, unless we play him."

For Denver, Flacco represents another attempt to find stability at quarterback under general manager John Elway, who has struggled to find a long-term solution at the position. The Broncos have shuffled through a number of options under center since Peyton Manning retired, including Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch and, most recently, Case Keenum.

New Broncos coach Vic Fangio was a defensive assistant on the Ravens' staff during Flacco's first two years (2008-09) with the team.

Opinion: Broncos' trade for Joe Flacco builds further pressure on John Elway By Mike Jones USA Today February 14, 2019

And so, John Elway grabs another dart and again takes aim at the bull's-eye that is the Denver Broncos’ quarterback position.

Having reached an agreement to acquire Joe Flacco from the Baltimore Ravens, according to a person with knowledge of the deal who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity due to the fact the move had not been made official, the Hall of Fame quarterback-turned-GM is hoping that another aging, former Super Bowl MVP can restore the Denver Broncos to the ranks of contenders.

It’s the only trick that has worked during his eight-year stint as team president. The three-year foray with Peyton Manning produced the third Super Bowl title in franchise history. But the quest to find a long-term replacement for Manning remains ongoing. Elway missed on draft picks Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. And he has now admitted failure on Case Keenum, last year's free agent signing who went 6-10 and recorded 19 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions while directing an offense that ranked in the bottom half of the league in most statistical categories.

The deal will not become official until March 13, but in Flacco, Denver has secured a passer who’s more accomplished than any Broncos quarterback of the last three decades not named Elway or Manning.

Flacco most likely welcomes this fresh start. But it’s hard to declare this a slam dunk because far too many questions loom over Flacco, the Broncos and Elway himself.

Since the Manning-led Super Bowl victory in the 2015 season, little of what Elway has done suggests that he has the vision and decision-making skills to guide the organization back to such heights.

His hand-picked replacement for Gary Kubiak, Vance Joseph, lasted just two seasons and became the fall guy for Denver’s plunge to a double-digit loss team. But the roster he assembled does indeed possess holes at key positions. To start, the offense features few play-makers. A line that surrendered 34 sacks also needs upgrades.

However, Elway has operated as if this team is one piece away from contention. He thought Keenum, who went 11-1 as a starter in Minnesota in 2017, was the answer, but the veteran was not.

Elway has also started over at head coach, hiring long-time defensive coordinator Vic Fangio away from Chicago.

But the acquisition of Flacco – who is set to earn $18.5 million in 2019, $20.25 million in 2020 and $24.25 in 2021, though none of those salaries are guaranteed – suggests that Elway still believes he have the roster equipped to make a quick turnaround and deep playoff run.

Flacco, however, hasn’t exactly delivered top-notch quarterback play as of late. There are multiple reasons why Lamar Jackson took over down the stretch of the season and prompted Ravens brass to end the Flacco era.

Flacco ranked 10th in the league with 274 passing yards per game, but he was 4-5 at the time of his last start, and his passer rating (84.2) ranked 28th in the NFL. Jackson isn’t yet as adept of a passer as the 34- year-old is, yet the Ravens stuck with him when making a playoff push and now will roll with him as the face of the franchise.

Injuries (including back and hip ailments) have limited Flacco in recent years. So, while he must prove he can stay healthy and that he still possesses game-changing abilities, the Broncos can’t make the mistake of plugging him in and expecting to mask their problems. They’ll have to make upgrades to ensure they maximize whatever Flacco has left in the tank.

Fangio is a masterful defensive strategist. But the offense surrounding Flacco is largely unproven. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and running back Phillip Lindsay represent bright spots. But Denver has a first- year offensive coordinator in Rich Scangarello, who last served as quarterbacks coach in San Francisco.

Scangarello and Elway share core offensive philosophies, however. Scangarello worked under Kyle Shanahan in both San Francisco and Atlanta. Shanahan, of course, learned NFL offensive design from his father, Mike Shanahan, who directed Elway to two Super Bowl wins. Kyle Shanahan also worked with Kubiak, who ran the same offense in Denver during Manning’s Super Bowl run.

Scangarello is expected to deploy a very similar attack, and Elway knows first-hand how such an offense can position an aging quarterback for success. In theory, it should benefit Flacco in many regards with a strong rushing game and plenty of play-action. Flacco is a pocket passer, so it will be interesting to see how he does with the elements of the offense that frequently roll the quarterback out to prevent him from being a stationary target for defenses. But at this stage in his career, Flacco should view anything that can be done to help limit the hits he takes as a positive.

Now Elway must take additional measures to fortify this roster elsewhere. He needs this to work, because if this experiment also fails, the next quarterback leaving with a pink slip could be Elway himself.

Joe Flacco heading to Broncos in trade as Ravens shake up offseason QB market By Will Brinson CBS Sports February 14, 2019

John Elway once saw Joe Flacco steal a shot at a Broncos Super Bowl title away from Denver, and now he's going to give Flacco a chance to bring the Broncos a title. On Wednesday, news broke that Denver has agreed to acquire the former Super Bowl MVP in a trade with the Ravens, the first domino to fall on the offseason QB market.

CBS NFL insider Jason La Canfora has more on the deal, which was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Getting a fourth-round pick for Flacco would be a pretty incredible haul for the Ravens, given his status with the team as a former starter replaced by a first-round pick at midseason.

This is a shocking trade, there are no two ways about it. The Broncos were thought to be players in the free agent market or perhaps even the draft, with Case Keenum serving as a mild-to-major disappointment in his only season with Denver. He didn't put up numbers like he did in Minnesota, but surely the Broncos didn't think he would?

Maybe they did, as Elway's solution is now Flacco, who has been largely mediocre in his entire career save for a very hot stretch of football in the playoffs that led to the Ravens winning the Super Bowl and Flacco becoming the highest-paid quarterback in football.

It's Jackson's time in Baltimore Flacco was out in Baltimore after the Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson. No matter how 2018 played out, it was going to be Flacco's last season with the Ravens. The only question was whether or not they could find someone to take on his contract in a trade. It seemed fairly unlikely, but then Denver popped up as a suitor, sort of out of nowhere.

Per Schefter, the Broncos saw "the demand at the position" and "pounced out of the gate on Flacco," having spent the week of the Super Bowl studying Flacco and putting together a deal before the combine rolled around and trade chatter between teams really got hot and heavy.

Jackson took over for Flacco midway through the season with Flacco injured and the Ravens struggling. Baltimore retooled its offense on the fly, becoming a run-heavy team and eventually winning the AFC North and making the playoffs.

The Ravens would lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Chargers amid people calling for Flacco to take over at halftime for Jackson, but coach John Harbaugh stuck by his guns and left his rookie quarterback in there. Jackson nearly completed a comeback on Los Angeles, and it's possible the decision to roll with Jackson helped to earn Harbaugh a large contract extension with Baltimore this offseason.

Baltimore committing to Greg Roman as offensive coordinator only further cemented their move to Jackson. Harbaugh also spoke about Flacco after the season, essentially confirming he would be departing this offseason.

For the Ravens, this is a massive win. They get Flacco out of town, sending him to a potential contender and making everyone happy in the process. They also don't have to cut the guy who brought the franchise its second Super Bowl. The Ravens will take on a $16 million dead cap hit with the trade, but they were going to have to pay some price for Flacco's deal in 2019 regardless. What a coup by Eric DeCosta in what is essentially his opening act as GM.

What were the Broncos thinking? There are some concerns here if you're Denver.

For starters, Flacco is 34 years old. He is not a mobile quarterback, so if Denver's offensive line doesn't improve, things could get ugly in the pocket. Additionally, he's battled injuries lately. He tore his ACL and had a back injury in recent years, just to name two of the more serious problems.

Flacco's contract isn't terrible in the sense that it doesn't contain any guaranteed money, but he's certainly not cheap. He'll cost the Broncos $18.5 million in 2019, $20.25 million in 2020 and $24.25 million in 2021. Those are his salaries and his cap hits.

The Broncos presumably will be moving on from Keenum at this point. Cutting Keenum will cost the Broncos $10 million in dead cap space while saving them $11 million in salary cap space, most of which will go to dealing with Flacco's contract.

More problematic is the question of whether or not Flacco is actually good. Flacco has literally never led the NFL in a single meaningful passing category. Not even interceptions. He's a tall, strong-armed quarterback who can wing the ball downfield. But he'll be working with young receivers, as Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton profile as his top weapons.

Flacco's best season was in 2016, when he passed for 4,317 yards and completed 64.9 percent of his passes with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. That was his only season above 4,000 passing yards. His career high is 27 passing touchdowns. He's never completed more than 65 percent of his passes. He's only thrown less than 10 picks in his career once, and that was last season, when he only played nine games. His career high is 7.4 yards per attempt.

The debate about Flacco being "elite" was always sort of silly to begin with. He's not. He was an average to above-average quarterback for a long time and he happened to black out and turn into during a playoff run. He's a clutch quarterback and has won some monster games in the postseason. But he's not some guy who is going to ramp up the Broncos offense.

If anything, as our own Ryan Wilson noted, he's a taller Case Keenum. In fact, compare their stats from 2015 through 2018 (as Ben Baldwin of The Athletic did) and, uh, they're the same guy.

Elway does not exactly have a history of smart offseason moves when it comes to acquiring quarterbacks. Landing Peyton Manning before the 2013 season was a master move and it resulted in some great teams and eventually a Super Bowl. But he's also drafted Brock Osweiler with a second-round pick (and got lucky Osweiler left without a big deal), drafted Paxton Lynch with a first-round pick, signed Keenum and now traded for Flacco.

He's got a type though: Osweiler, Lynch and Flacco are all at least 6-foot-6 and comprise a handful of quarterbacks that tall who have thrown passes and started games in recent years.

Flacco would be the exception to the rule if he goes to Denver and succeeds, making him yet another high-priced gamble by the Broncos at the position.

Here’s the Broncos' reported plan for Case Keenum after pulling off surprising trade for Joe Flacco By John Breech CBS Sports February 14, 2019

After just one season with the Broncos, it appears that Case Keenum is already the odd man out in Denver following the team's surprising trade for Joe Flacco on Wednesday.

Although the Flacco trade won't become official until March 13, the Broncos are already trying to figure out what do with Keenum and there's good chance the guy who started every game at quarterback for Denver in 2018 won't be on the roster when the 2019 season kicks off.

According to NFL.com, the only way Keenum will be playing for the Broncos in 2019 is if he agrees to a massive pay cut, which isn't likely to happen. As things stand now, Keenum is scheduled to make $18 million in base salary in 2019, which includes $7 million in guaranteed money.

The more likely scenario is that the Broncos get rid of Keenum and that could go one of two ways. As NFL.com reported, the Broncos are already in the process of shopping Keenum, which means we could see Denver pull off another trade before the start of free agency. Of course, if the Broncos can't find a trading partner, then they'll simply release Keenum, unless he agrees to take that aforementioned pay cut.

No matter what the Broncos do, it's going to cost them some serious money. If the Broncos pull off a trade, they'll have to eat a $3 million cap charge as part of the signing bonus they gave Keenum when they originally inked him to a two-year, $36 million deal in 2018. The contract included a $6 million signing bonus, and of that bonus, the Broncos took a $3 million cap hit in 2018 and will have to take another $3 million hit in 2019 whether Keenum is playing for them or not.

If the Broncos end up releasing Keenum, it will get even more expensive. Not only will they take a $10 million dead cap hit, but they'll have to pay Keenum $7 million in cash for the 2019 season. Keenum's two- year deal included $25 million in guaranteed money, with the team guaranteeing $7 million of his 2019 base salary. Basically, if Keenum gets cut, he'll have made $25 million for his one season in Denver, which is fantastic money for a quarterback who led his team to a 6-10 record in 2018.

Although Keenum didn't have a great season in Denver, he should still be a hot commodity due in large part to the fact that the quarterback market just isn't that strong this year. When free agency begins in March, the biggest names in the quarterback class will likely be Nick Foles and Teddy Bridgewater, but Foles might not be available in free agency if the Eagles decide to hit him with the franchise tag. If that happens, he would likely become trade bait for the Eagles and there's a good chance the asking price for Keenum would be much lower than the asking price for Foles.

If Joe Flacco doesn't work out for Broncos, then what's next for John Elway? By Frank Schwab Yahoo! Sports February 14, 2019

At one point, John Elway looked like a star general manager, just like he was a star quarterback.

You wouldn’t know it by the reaction to Elway these days, but he built a Super Bowl champion. From 2012- 15, the Denver Broncos were a fantastic team. The first part of that run was fueled by Peyton Manning’s incredible second chapter to his career. When Manning fell off a cliff in 2015, the team Elway built was still good enough to win a title in spite of Manning and his 67.9 passer rating. Also, Elway deserved credit for landing Manning in the first place.

Things turn fast in the NFL. Elway is no longer the GM who built a champion, he’s a punchline for his post- Manning failures. At the heart of it is his inability to find an answer at quarterback, which is ironic from the legendary quarterback. The latest turn on the carousel belongs to Joe Flacco, who Denver will reportedly acquire in a trade with Baltimore when the league year starts on March 13.

Maybe Elway envisions this turning out just like Manning did for Denver. Everyone else seems pretty unimpressed by the move. And if it doesn’t work out, well, the good vibes for Elway from that Super Bowl 50 win can’t last forever.

John Elway has struggled to find a QB after Peyton Manning Brock Osweiler. Paxton Lynch. Trevor Siemian. Case Keenum.

Joe Flacco.

At least Elway keeps trying? He drafted Osweiler over Russell Wilson and Lynch over , among others. Siemian was a limited seventh-round pick who was never going to be the answer. Keenum came on a two-year, $36 million deal and Denver grew tired of him after one season. He’ll have a $10 million dead cap hit if he’s let go. The Broncos will try to trade him first, and we’ll see if they can find a taker.

The problem is, Flacco isn’t what he once was. And what he was, aside from some hot streaks in the playoffs, was never great. He has lived off of that Super Bowl win for a long time. It’s hard to start 11 seasons for the same team and never make a Pro Bowl, but Flacco has done it. His passer rating hasn’t been above 84 since 2014. He’s 34, and has dealt with significant injuries the past two years (he played 16 games through a back injury in 2017). Any scan of his numbers for the past few years doesn’t indicate he’ll be Denver’s long-term answer. He also has base salaries of $18.5 million, $20.25 million and $24.25 million the next three years.

If Flacco does have some great seasons in Denver — one of Elway’s post-Manning decisions at quarterback has to turn out well, right? — then Elway will have the last laugh. Most likely, Denver still needs to invest a high pick in a draft prospect to sit and learn behind Flacco (Missouri’s has been the one in this class most often linked to Denver) and hope it works out a heck of a lot better than Lynch.

And if Flacco or whatever young player Elway picks next doesn’t work out, eventually the questions about Elway’s job security will have to start, as strange as that seems given Elway’s stature in the organization.

Could Elway be on the hot seat? Aside from maybe in , no single person is more closely associated with an NFL franchise than Elway and the Broncos. He raised Denver’s stature in the NFL during his playing career, won two Super Bowls as a quarterback and then another as a GM, saving the franchise from the horrendous and short-lived Josh McDaniels era.

That’s why it’s hard to put Elway’s job security in proper context. He hasn’t been good lately. The quarterback question looms over everything, but what’s not talked about as much is his failures building the roster as a whole. The 2018 rookie class looks like a winner, but some fruitless drafts before that have eaten away at the depth on the roster. Also, Elway hiring Vance Joseph as head coach when other teams hired Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan and was a failure. Elway did build a Super Bowl champion just three seasons ago. But the NFL offers patience for nobody. Not even someone like Elway who is virtually synonymous with the franchise itself.

The Flacco trade seems desperate. Part of it might be Elway’s desire to never rebuild, but it also might be a reaction to some pressure to win right now. The Broncos are coming off consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1972. Since Flacco is 34, on a decline and arguably not even better than Keenum, the trade has to be viewed as grasping at a win-now move. A general manager with more time might have saved the draft pick, stuck it out with Keenum (again, you can argue Keenum is at least as good as Flacco these days) and drafted the long-term answer in one of the next two drafts.

Even someone with Elway’s history in Denver can’t be given unlimited mulligans. If the Flacco move doesn’t work out, then what?

Broncos and Ravens Get a Major Piece of Offseason Business Done Early with Joe Flacco Trade By MMQB February 14, 2019

The Broncos’ agreement to trade for Joe Flacco on Wednesday did several things. It highlighted Denver’s swings and misses in trying to find Peyton Manning’s replacement at quarterback—Paxton Lynch, Case Keenum, et al. It showed urgency to win, with defensive guys Von Miller, Brandon Marshall and Chris Harris all turning 30 between now and September. It opened a window into how the new coaching staff wants to build. And, believe it or not, it gave the team long-term flexibility.

I’m not here to pave over the broken road that John Elway and Co. took to get here. But given the present circumstances? I don’t hate the trade.

Think of it like this: you’re looking to buy a house long-term and you’re on a flexible month-to-month lease in your current living situation. If you’re renting on a set yearly lease, you might feel antsy or take a counteroffer you shouldn’t, knowing there’s a real deadline coming—in essence allowing your short-term situation to creep into your long-term decision-making. But on a month-to-month lease, you can be patient. You’re operating from a position of strength.

Flacco is, in this case, the month-to-month lease, whereas Keenum became the set lease as he and the Broncos went into the final year of the pact they struck last March. Flacco has three years left on the contract Denver is inheriting, at $18.5 million for 2019, $20.25 million for ’20, and $24.25 million for ’21. None of that is guaranteed. All of it is in the form of base salary. The Broncos can move on whenever.

Denver gets a quarterback that it believes in now, sending their 2019 fourth-round pick to Baltimore in return, but that doesn’t preclude the franchise from drafting one with its first-round pick—like the Browns did after trading for Tyrod Taylor, the Jets did after signing Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater, and the Cardinals did after inking Sam Bradford last year. And if the Broncos don’t love the class? Or they can’t get their guy? Then they can wait, leaning on Flacco.

ORR: What the Joe Flacco Trade Means for the Broncos, the Ravens, Nick Foles and the 2019 NFL Draft

This isn’t some kind of grand-slam move for Elway. Everyone knows how he got here, and we don’t know how Flacco will play in Denver, especially given that he’s a big man with recent history of back and hip problems.

What I do know is how you wind up with Christian Ponder or EJ Manuel or, yup, Lynch. In a lot of cases, it’s been because a team has no answer at quarterback, and predetermines that it’ll draft one in the first round. If the right guy’s not there? Then you talk yourself into one, like you might that counteroffer.

At the very least Denver won’t be tempted to do that. If healthy, and based on how he played before he got hurt last year, Flacco’s a fine short-term quarterback for the Broncos. The team can win with him, and maybe more than that. And just as important, he’ll allow you to be judicious with Elway’s long-term plan.

In this week’s GamePlan, we’re going to answer your questions on the Giants and Cardinals quarterback situations, which quarterbacks could follow the Kirk Cousins Get Rich Plan, what coordinators make in the NFL, how the CBA could change before its 2021 expiration and more.

But this has been a big news week, and there’s no bigger story this week than a Super Bowl-winning quarterback changing teams, even if we knew Flacco’s time as a Raven was finished after head coach John Harbaugh handed the reins to Lamar Jackson, who led Baltimore’s late-season surge.

I know this is easy to say in the immediate aftermath, but I think the deal is a good one for both sides. The Ravens get a major piece of business done early, give a player who’ll be in their Ring of Honor a graceful and timely exit and move forward with certainty (knowing they’ll have to eat $16 million in dead money).

From the Broncos’ perspective, there’s the aforementioned flexibility, and the chance to play both for today and tomorrow at quarterback. And here are some important facts in that regard …

• The $63 million over three years left on Flacco’s deal puts his Broncos’ APY at $21 million. That ranks No. 12 in the NFL for 2019, between Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning. His cap hit of $18.5 million ranks No. 21. So $63 million over three years may sound like a lot. It’s not.

• Flacco had arguably his best, most consistent year as a pro under Gary Kubiak in 2014. Rich Scangarello, his new coordinator in Denver, cut his NFL teeth under Kyle Shanahan, who came up under Kubiak. Some of what made Flacco successful five years ago should come back to him now, which is a piece of what the Broncos saw here.

• Kubiak was a factor in the Broncos’ quarterback planning before he left the organization a month ago, so it’s fair to say that he provided good insight into Flacco. And new coach Vic Fangio not only was with Flacco for two years in Baltimore, but also maintained relationships with defensive coaches there, which helped in vetting the QB leading up to the trade agreement.

• The Demaryius Thomas trade helped set the stage for this. The pick going to Baltimore is Denver’s slotted fourth rounder, which the Broncos are O.K. giving up because the team gained a fourth rounder from Houston in the Thomas deal. That one is 12 slots lower than Denver’s original pick. For the Broncos, this amounts to taking on the money, and dealing Thomas for Flacco, while moving a pick in the low 100s down a dozen spots.

And again, I don’t know if this works out for both sides or not. But it’s not hard to see why the Broncos did it.

BENOIT: Why the Broncos Are Banking on Joe Flacco’s Return to Form

As for the other quarterbacks on the market …

I don’t think the Flacco trade affects the veteran market much. The Broncos weren’t seen necessarily as an open seat at the quarterbacking table a month ago, and so you’re not really taking a seat away, but you are taking a starting quarterback out of the mix without really introducing a new one to market. And while Denver will shop Keenum, it’s hard to believe anyone will bite with his 2019 base at $18 million or, after he’s released, entrench him as a starter elsewhere.

In that way, this actually could be good for Nick Foles and Bridgewater, in regards to potential openings for jobs in Jacksonville, Miami and Washington.

Bridgewater could represent a win/win for the Redskins—where the player gets a chance to reestablish himself as an NFL starter, and the team gets a very solid for-now starter with so much uncertainty swirling around .

As for Foles, his situation is more complicated. The Eagles have until March 5 to decide on hitting him with the franchise tag. That gives them three weeks to find a suitor willing to deal for him with the $25 million (or so) tag attached, find out whether Foles is willing to go to and/or explore a long-term deal with that team, and do it without breaking the rules on the tag that say it’s not there to facilitate trades.

Eagles czar is great at this kind of thing, of course. But this one won’t be easy, particularly when Foles may be motivated to see whether the division rival Giants (with his old OC Pat Shurmur) or Redskins would be interested.

Maybe a deal with someone like Jacksonville, and another old OC of Foles’s (John DeFilippo), gets done. Maybe the Eagles decide just to let Foles walk and collect the 2020 comp pick (which would probably be a third-rounder) instead.

BENOIT: Ranking the NFL’s Neediest Teams Heading into Free Agency and the Draft

That’s the story on the guys throwing the ball. Now for those catching it …

Antonio Brown put out the 2019 equivalent of a bat signal on Tuesday, tweeting, “Thank you Steeler Nation for a big 9 years…time to move on and move forward” with a peace-sign emoji and “New Demands” hashtag. So what does it all mean? Here’s what I know about that situation …

• Brown has not talked to any member of the Steelers brass—including head coach , GM and owner —since the season ended, according to sources. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has been in contact with the team.

• The aforementioned tweet was not the result of any single event. Some in the Steelers organization, in fact, theorized it may have stemmed from the NFL news cycle spinning fast at the beginning of this week— and Brown not wanting his situation to be lost in the shuffle. “He’s not a bad guy, but he craves attention and credit,” said one source.

• The Steelers, as I understand it, are against trading him in the division, and against trading him to the Patriots. They’ll listen to offers from the other 27 teams.

• Is it a 100% guarantee that he gets dealt? No. Pittsburgh’s roster is aging in key spots, at quarterback, along the offensive line and in spots on defense, and there is some feeling that making it work short-term with Brown might make the most sense, given the circumstances. That, of course, would require Brown’s cooperation and a lot of fence-mending.

• It’d cost them the $2.5 million roster bonus due to hold on to him past March 17. If they were willing to do that, then the idea of trying to make it work and revisiting at the trade deadline in October could come into play.

• All of this said, I’m told Brown’s camp has put in multiple trade requests with the Steelers over the last two months.

• Brown’s contract as presently constituted represents great value—he’s due $39 million over the next three years, none of it guaranteed. That APY of $13 million is what Philadelphia’s Alshon Jeffrey and Indianapolis’ T.Y. Hilton make. But other teams have expressed a belief that if they were to do a deal for Brown, he’d ask for a contract adjustment.

• For one reason or another, receivers have fetched a big return on the market historically. Oakland got a first-round pick for Amari Cooper in October. was traded for first-rounders in consecutive offseasons. And the Steelers are most assuredly looking at comps here.

We’ll see where this goes. If the Steelers wind up dealing him, the Raiders would be one interesting team to watch— has said they need a No. 1 receiver, and has an affinity for veteran players, plus three first-round picks and a lot of cap space burning holes in his pockets. And I’d imagine, if Brown’s willing to play on his current deal, there’d be more than a couple teams interested.

VRENTAS: Kareem Hunt Could Have Earned His Way Back into the NFL—But Not This Quickly

While we’re there, Brown wasn’t the only receiver making waves this week …

Fox Sports’ caught the attention of plenty in his mailbag on The Athletic this week, predicting an Odell Beckham trade in answering a question. Glazer doesn’t pull things out of thin air, and Beckham added to the intrigue with a cryptic tweet a few hours later that pushed silence and happiness (I think).

A Beckham trade is not impossible here. My belief is the Giants came to grips with the fact that they’re in rebuild—not a retool—last year. It’ll take patience. That makes it fair to ask if Beckham is worth more to them as an asset than he is as a player right now. And as an asset he’s a true No. 1, signed for the next five years at $77 million (a reasonable $15.4 million per) with $19.5 million left guaranteed.

I doubt the Giants actively shop him now, but there’s a larger piece to this—this isn’t a great receiver draft, and the free-agent class (Golden Tate, Adam Humphries, Cole Beasley, Jamison Crowder, Randall Cobb, etc.) isn’t off the charts, either. So my expectation is aggressive teams that need big-time receivers are going to get creative.

That means asking about true No. 1s, like Julio Jones (who wants a new contract), A.J. Green (who has a new coach), and Beckham. That doesn’t mean those guys are close to as likely to be dealt as Brown is. But I think those teams will be getting calls on those players, because I’ve been asked about those players’ availability over the last few weeks. Alright, finally, we get to your mail …

MAIL TIME From Mike (@mspielNYMNYG): Giants Quarterback situation, what’s the plan for Eli and potential successor?

I think we can relate this back to how I explained the Flacco situation—Manning’s contract is no longer at, or even close to, the top of the market for his position. The Giants have him at $17 million for this year. That’s right around half the average-per-year that Aaron Rodgers is getting in Green Bay, and it’s less than Keenum made to be the quarterback in Denver last year.

Presuming they don’t get a blockbuster offer, and Manning’s amenable to being a good soldier should his successor arrive in April (or before then), it makes all the sense in the world to go forward with him in his contract year. You’ll get a motivated player, and someone who’s respected in the locker room. And you won’t be guessing on how some bridge quarterback might fit.

Maybe they do pursue someone like Foles. I believe the more likely outcome here is Manning sticking around in 2019 with a rookie behind him.

And of course, it goes without saying the Giants are looking seriously at taking a quarterback with the sixth pick in the draft, and maybe trading up for one. They have, in fact, already done a bunch of homework—GM Dave Gettleman and assistant GM Kevin Abrams live scouted a number of the top quarterbacks in the fall (They saw Oregon’s Justin Herbert, who stayed in school, and Murray in November.)

NFL DRAFT BIG BOARD: The Pre-Combine Top 50

From Sam Tibolt (@samtibolt): What will Marcus Mariota's future be if he stays healthy next year and leads the Titans to the playoffs?

Probably the franchise tag. And it raises an interesting question going into 2019—Could there be a quarterback setting up to go down the Kirk Cousins path? Cousins parlayed his team’s uncertainty on his future into two franchise tags, then unrestricted free agency last March, which led to the only fully guaranteed multi-year deal in NFL history.

There are three guys who could be positioned to do the same starting a year from now. Mariota is one. Tampa Bay’s is another. And Dallas’ Dak Prescott would be the third. All three will need to play well, but each could reach the end of a rookie deal, with a franchise tag between $25 million and $30 milion waiting for them in 2020.

JONES: The Offseason Quarterback Moves Each NFL Team Should Consider (If Any)

From René Bugner (@RNBWCV): Why don´t teams invest more money in long-term contracts for good offensive/defensive coordinators?

Rene, they actually do! Did some digging on the actual numbers, and with a little help from some coaching agents, I was able to come up with a few interesting facts on what coordinators make. So here you go …

• Every defensive coordinator in the NFL and almost every offensive coordinator makes seven figures. So the baseline is a million per.

• Offensive coordinators make less than defensive coordinators. Why? Because there are 20 head coaches with offensive background, and just 12 with defensive background. That makes defensive assistants more valuable. The mean and median for defensive coordinators is between $1.65 million and $1.8 million, I’m told. For OCs, it’s between $1.5 million and $1.6 million.

• The top of the market on both sides of the ball is around $3 million per. A select few make over $3 million per.

So that should tell you teams are investing in coordinators. If you’re saying they should do more to keep guys long-term, I’d tell you that you can’t really stop guys from becoming head coaches and, if a guy wants to leave, all he has to do is refuse an extension and wait his deal out. In that way, the NFL’s like any business. If you have great people, you’ll eventually get to the point where it’s tough to keep them.

From John West (@westy154): What’s the legacy of Super Bowl 53? Belichick’s master planning, or Rams crapping the bed? How will history ultimately remember it?

I really think it’s one of Belichick’s finest moments. The 2018 Patriots were made up of players in his image, and the emergence of a Patriots defense as a dominant unit (after some very tough moments during the regular season) was football’s version of chess at its highest level.

And that’s a huge credit to the players too. Some of those guys would get offended by the idea talent was an issue. Truth is, at times, talent was an issue, but only because Belichick was willing to give on talent in building the roster to get versatility and intelligence. The final result, which I didn’t see coming, was a smart, malleable group that unlocked all of Belichick’s ability as a coach.

On offense I think these Patriots—Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman—were the proud old prizefighters (I’ve used that analogy with them a lot) who kept swinging and when they got to the 12th round, somehow they were throwing more heat than anyone else.

It really was an amazing season for the New England dynasty in a lot of ways, and what happened shouldn’t be used to take anything away from the Rams, who still have an incredibly bright future.

From Mike Jennings (@SavageDad84): Will draft Kyler Murray and ultimately trade ?

I don’t think so, Mike. But I wouldn’t totally rule anything out—anyone trying to peg Kingsbury’s type at that position is wasting their time. His strength as a college coach was working with different kinds of quarterbacks, from Keenum at Houston to at A&M to Baker Mayfield, Davis Webb and Patrick Mahomes at Tech. He can fit his offense to different kinds of guys.

What I can say is that there was some concern over how Rosen’s rookie year went, and I’m not sure everyone in the building was totally sold on him coming out of that. But it’s Kingbury’s show now. He’s watched Rosen’s tape. He said that Rosen “is our guy.” I’ll take that at face value—even though I know it’s what he has to say—until I hear otherwise.

From René Bugner (@RNBWCV): Is the whole CBA set in stone for the whole length? IIRC everyone agrees that the current rules for offseason contact between players & coaches and length of OTAs makes the NFL a bad product in September/October, why can´t they change it?

Just because I like you, Rene, and you’ve kept the questions coming, I’ll answer two for you this week. No, the CBA isn’t set in stone for the whole length of the deal. The league and union can always make adjustments. But that’s the thing—over the last decade, those two parties haven’t been able to agree on the color of the sky, so it’s never going to be easy to amend what they agreed to in 2011.

Why won’t they change the offseason rules? That was a win for the players in 2011, and the owners, in the end, have other things that are far higher on their list of priorities (see: anything involving money). The group that’s most passionate about change in this regard is one that doesn’t have a seat at the table, although, as we wrote in March 2017, the coaches have organized to make their voice heard on it.

From William Hronis (@WHronis): Will we see a lot of draft trades in 2019?

William, I’d tell you that while I think teams will be aggressive on the trade market in general, as I said earlier, this year’s draft class doesn’t lend itself to a ton of trading at the top. The quarterback class isn’t as good as last year’s, and probably isn’t as good as next year’s. And one thing you hear about the class in general is there might not be much difference between the fifth and No. 25 picks this year.

What could change things? The quarterbacks could get hot, like and did in 2016, which was also presumed to be a mediocre year at the position early on. Or there could be runs on positions to seep the supply, juices the demand, and pressure teams into dealing up.

But right now, in mid-February, it looks like the kind of year where it’ll be tough for teams in the Top 10 to trade down. What the Joe Flacco Trade Means for the Broncos, the Ravens, Nick Foles and the 2019 NFL Draft By Conor Orr MMQB February 14, 2019

Like the Alex Smith trade during Super Bowl week a year ago, there are some maneuvers that are so critical to a team’s planning that they often get done before the start of the new league year.

On Wednesday ESPN reported that Joe Flacco will end up with the Denver Broncos come March 13, and our Albert Breer reported that the Broncos are sending their 2019 fourth-round pick back to Baltimore. While Flacco’s impending departure isn’t a surprise—head coach John Harbaugh admitted as much following the Ravens’ season-ending loss to the Chargers, signaling a full-on rebuild around Lamar Jackson—it is surprising to again see Broncos president John Elway take a major swing for a quarterback in free agency.

Here’s what the deal means for Denver, Baltimore and the rest of the NFL:

1. Elway is still in win-now mode (...kind of).

If we thought the Demaryius Thomas trade was evidence that Elway was finally stripping down his Super Bowl-winning team from 2015, well, think again. The pivot to Flacco signals that the Broncos are still believe their roster is good enough to contend in the all-of-a-sudden insane AFC West—or that the the team is good enough to stay afloat. Denver’s current set of personnel would represent one of the more talented units Flacco has played with (especially given the Broncos’ resurgent running game and very talented backfield), though depending on the health of Denver’s offensive line, he may see a bit of a decline in protection.

This is a small- to medium-level gamble for the Broncos, who take on a 34-year-old quarterback who has had injury concerns in each of the last four seasons (Torn ACL in 2015, shoulder discomfort in ’16, back issues in ’17 and hip problems in ’18) and is set to make more than $18 million in ’19. Does he represent enough of a marked improvement from Case Keenum to constitute an upgrade, or is this another example of a competitive general manager allowing his inner-player to get the best of him?

The good news for Denver is that Flacco’s contract is very simple to get out of in 2019, so this could represent another one-year trial should the Broncos be interested in waiting to draft a successor quarterback.

2. Familiarity probably played a role.

Flacco arrived in Baltimore in 2008, which was Broncos new head coach Vic Fangio’s last year as the assistant head coach (he stayed on in Baltimore in ’09 as a linebackers coach). As Mike Sando over at ESPN also noted, there are tentacles leading back to Gary Kubiak in Denver. Not only did Flacco perform well under Kubiak when he was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator in 2014, but there is also connection between Kubiak’s system and the one run by current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan (Shanahan worked on Kubiak’s staff in Houston from 2006-09 where some of his offensive concepts were cemented). To bring it full circle, Denver’s current offensive coordinator, Rich Scangarello, spent the last two years as Shanahan’s quarterbacks coach in San Francisco.

While above-average quarterback play is essential, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Elway views Flacco as a quarterback who is smart and experienced enough to play damage-free football and complement a defense that is expected to set the pace. This system would allow Denver to play that style of football.

3. What will the Ravens do now?

This trade adds a wrinkle to the backup quarterback scramble. Harbaugh said during his season-ending address that there would obviously be a focus on developing Lamar Jackson as a passer, though there would also be a concerted effort in finding coaches and players who fit the clock-sapping, ball-control offense that propelled Baltimore into the playoffs late last season. Flacco was never going to fit into that scheme, and since Jackson plays the position in a physical manner as well as a finesse manner, there will be a high premium on backups who can run a version of that scheme in case he goes down.

The most likely option would be Jackson’s third-stringer (and sometimes backup) in 2018, Robert Griffin III—Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic reported mutual interest in a reunion back in early January. It’s difficult to pingeonhole any of the other free agents into a similar system, which could put the Ravens in a position to take a third passer come draft time. Without a full arsenal of picks, they shouldn’t reasonably be able to consider a quarterback until at least the third round. However, this draft especially, with a wide array of talents and an even more wide open view on their pro readiness, could benefit them in the later rounds.

4. How does the price tag on Nick Foles change?

Does the best quarterback remaining control the market, or will he suffer because of it? Remember, we’re still a few days ahead of teams being able to franchise players. Nick Foles declined his player option, which sets up the Eagles’ decision to either let him hit free agency and take the compensatory pick, or tag him and try to control his destination via trade. There has been some momentum for the second option given that both of Philadelphia’s division rivals, Washington and the Giants, could use a quarterback. However, the Eagles’ cap situation is a complicating factor, and franchising a quarterback is expensive.

In the short term, this probably alters the market a little bit for the Super Bowl LII MVP. Along with Washington and New York, the Jaguars and the Dolphins—should they move on from Ryan Tannehill— are on the list of teams that need a quarterback. As that list shrinks, or opts for the much cheaper option of signing a quality backup and drafting a rookie, we could also get some clarity on Foles’s future.

5. Is this an indictment of the rookie class?

A good nugget here from Eric Edholm of Pro Football Weekly, providing some breadcrumbs to follow: Elway apparently told Missouri quarterback Drew Lock that he’d be a top-10 pick at the Senior Bowl. The Broncos hold a top-10 pick. Is this trade a reflection of how Elway sees the top of the draft lining up ahead of him (meaning, does he think a few passers will be taken with picks one through nine), or is he just hedging his bets?

Let’s follow one scenario all the way through: Imagine this means the Broncos are all-in with Flacco and do not take a quarterback at 10 (Broncos beat writer Ryan O’Halloran mentioned offensive line and cornerbacks as the highest positions on their wish list). That leaves two teams—the Giants and the Jaguars—as kind-of-sort-of destinations for the best two rookie passers in the draft and only a handful of other teams (Washington, Miami, New England, Tennessee) who may be even remotely interested in the first round.

If nothing else, this move is a strong cup of coffee for the where-is-Kyler-Murray-landing crowd.

Why Broncos Are Banking on a Flacco Return to Form By Andy Benoit MMQB February 14, 2019

John Elway acquired a big-armed quarterback who can—in theory—operate a full-scope dropback passing game that Case Keenum couldn't. Can a new offensive coordinator, installing a system Flacco succeeded in before, make it work?

The Joe Flacco trade is just the latest in a decades-long string of evidence illustrating the NFL’s insatiable appetite for big-armed passers. John Elway can especially appreciate big-armed passers because he was one.

Elway’s game also hinged on strong out-of-pocket mobility. That’s never been Flacco’s forte, though Flacco is not the statue that his comportment and body type suggest. New Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello was hired to install a Kyle Shanahan-style scheme, which means a play-action passing game built off outside-zone runs looks. This approach naturally lends itself to bootlegs and rollouts.

Flacco can execute those designed-movement plays (recall that he did so effectively in 2014, Gary Kubiak’s one year as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator), but he’s in Denver primarily to offer a full-scope dropback passing game. The question is, Can he?

Flacco, battling knee and back problems in recent years, has been average at best, looking nothing like the QB he was during Baltimore’s magical 2012 playoff run. It’s not all physical… Flacco’s field-reading and coverage diagnostics have also been strangely spotty for a veteran in his 30s. But Elway is making two bets:

1) That Flacco’s arm, which has diminished some but not so much that he can’t still throw anywhere on the field, will give Scangarello unlimited options in aerial designs, which wouldn’t have been the “Case” with Keenum.

2) That Scangarello’s scheme can appropriately cater to the overly cautious approach that post knee-injury Flacco has adopted. If Scangarello is running a true Shanahan-style system (and Elway would not hire him if he weren’t), then many dropbacks will present the quarterback with a defined read.

The Shanahan system believes in throwing the ball out of two-back sets, where defenses, forced to worry about the added run-game possibilities, are more predictable in coverage. In obvious passing situations, where playing two backs is unfeasible, routes are always intertwined, especially on the three-receiver side, where the locations of the safeties often dictate the read. (This, by the way, is why that system demands a smart center… you want a center who can read the front seven and call protections so that the QB is free to just focus on the safeties.)

Any experienced veteran QB can run the user-friendly Shanahan-style passing game. Elway is banking that a good-but-never-great one will suffice for leading an offense that is playing opposite what’s still one of football’s most talented defenses.

Broncos agree to trade for Ravens QB Joe Flacco By Herbie Teope NFL.com February 14, 2019

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in early January that quarterback Joe Flacco would have a market, and the prediction proved correct.

The Ravens on Wednesday agreed in principle to trade Flacco to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a fourth-round pick, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, via sources informed of the situation.

Rapoport added that Flacco, who had three years remaining on his contract, will need to rework his deal for the Broncos. Baltimore and Denver are not allowed to publicly comment on the transaction until the NFL's new calendar year begins on March 13, when the deal should be finalized. ESPN's Adam Schefter was first to report the trade.

The 34-year-old Flacco is set to join the Broncos after 11 seasons in Baltimore. He helped lead the Ravens to seven postseason appearances, which includes a win in Super Bowl XLVII where Flacco was named the MVP.

Flacco started nine games in 2018 before a hip injury resulted in the Ravens turning to rookie Lamar Jackson, the Ravens' second of two first-round picks in 2018. Flacco completed just 61.2 percent of his passes -- his lowest mark since the 2013 season -- and threw 12 touchdowns with six interceptions. The Ravens went 4-5 with Flacco under center, while Jackson led the team to a 6-1 record down the stretch and a postseason berth.

With the Broncos, Flacco gets a fresh start under new head coach Vic Fangio, who knows Flacco from his time on the Ravens' coaching staff from 2006-09. Flacco entered the league in 2008.

Flacco will now enter the 2019 season as the starter over Case Keenum, who recently expressed he wasn't worried about the Broncos making a potential move to bolster the quarterback position. The Broncos signed Keenum to a two-year, $36 million deal during free agency in 2018, but received an underwhelming performance en route to missing the postseason for a third consecutive year.

Broncos exec John Elway has searched for a quarterback ever since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 season. In the span since Manning hung up his cleats, the Broncos have gone through a carousel of signal- callers with Keenum, Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch.

Flacco now joins the ranks and should have every opportunity to provide stability in Denver.

Joe Flacco trade: Lamar Jackson a winner, John Elway a loser By Kevin Patra NFL.com February 14, 2019

The Denver Broncos swung the first big offseason trade of the year, agreeing to ship a fourth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco.

The move will have a trickle-down effect not only for the Broncos but the rest of the quarterback market as we barrel toward the opening of free agency on March 13.

Knee-jerk reactions to the trade fell into two buckets:

1) Praise for the Ravens' ability to receive compensation for Flacco. 2) Head-scratching over the latest John Elway QB move.

Thinking a bit deeper, here's a quick look at who might be the winners and losers of the pre-Valentine's Day swap:

WINNERS Baltimore's front office: The Ravens, who might as well have placed a "QB for sale" ad on Zillow, couldn't have made it more obvious they were parting ways with Flacco. Baltimore telegraphed that the organization would end up cutting him if a proper trade partner couldn't be found. Head coach John Harbaugh openly discussed the end of the Flacco era. Credit new GM Eric DeCosta for generating fourth- round value out of a player the team had little use for in 2019. The $16 million in dead money stings, but that was coming regardless of how the Ravens parted ways. It's unknown at this point who, if anyone, the Broncos were bidding against for Flacco's services, but getting more than a late-round pick for a 34-year- old quarterback with durability questions is a boon for Baltimore.

Joe Flacco: Joey Elite gets another starting quarterback gig. While there are still the issues of Case Keenum's future and what Elway does in the draft, Flacco is clearly in line to be one of 32 starting quarterbacks in Week 1 of 2019. For a quarterback who has averaged just 6.3 yards per attempt over the past four years, eclipsed 4,000 yards passing just once in his career, brings no mobility to the position and has dealt with back and hip injuries the past two seasons, being penciled in as a starter is a clear win. After watching Lamar Jackson usurp his gig in Baltimore, Flacco is back in a driver's seat.

Lamar Jackson: It was obvious when Harbaugh continued to ride Jackson despite Flacco being healthy enough to play last season, but Wednesday's news highlights in permanent marker that Baltimore is now Jackson's team. There will be no calls to switch QBs -- as there were during the Ravens' postseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers -- if the young passer hits an oily patch and lands in Strugglesville during his 2019 drive.

Social media snark artists: Immediately after the news broke, a cavalcade of self-proclaimed amateur comedians mashed their keypads to drop snide analysis about the deal, particularly aiming at Elway. Perhaps the snarky criticism will prove prescient in a year. Of course, social media also lampooned the clowns for giving up a first-round pick for Amari Cooper.

LOSERS John Elway: So, wait, am I piling on Elway, too? Well, judging a trade minutes after it's agreed to, and nearly a month before it can be finalized, is a fool's errand. Yet, Elway's track record provides a troubling backdrop for his latest QB move. Since importing Peyton Manning in 2012, Elway has swung and missed at every turn in his attempt to find a reliable signal-caller. He drafted Brock Osweiler 57th overall in 2012. He took Trevor Siemian in 2015. He traded up for Paxton Lynch in the first round in 2016. And he handed Case Keenum a two-year, $36 million contract last offseason. Each move has blown up in Elway's face. Now a mid-30s Flacco is supposed to be the panacea for Elway's typhoid QB fever? Parting ways with Keenum would also leave $10 million in dead money on the Broncos' salary cap (versus $21 million if he's on the roster). Combine that with the $18.5 million Flacco is set to earn in 2019, and that's a high-priced QB room with little upside. Perhaps Elway still goes out and lands a hotshot rookie signal-caller in the draft, Flacco serves as a one-year stand-in (again) and the newbie becomes a franchise staple (finally). Maybe in that hypothetical scenario, the trade won't be viewed in a negative light. Another swing and miss, however, and even the most ardent Elway supporters in Denver will begin to waver.

Case Keenum: Keenum didn't play well in 2018. Even he admitted as much. Yet, the 30-year-old also dealt with a struggling offensive line -- imagine Flacco playing behind that group -- and watched his best receiver blow an Achilles and his second-best veteran wideout get traded. Regardless, Keenum getting supplanted by Flacco takes the shine off a QB who was basking in the glow of a career year just last offseason. Would another team give him a shot in hopes of recapturing that 2017 Minnesota magic, or will he return to journeyman backup status? Perhaps a reunion in New York with former Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur might be his best option. There are few starting QB openings this season, and none seem likely to give Keenum a legit shot to play every week.

QBs poised to enter the offseason carousel: NFL Network's Mike Garafolo notes that the Flacco trade likely doesn't affect Nick Foles' market much. It seems Jacksonville is the most logical destination for the former Super Bowl MVP. The Flacco swap does take some bargaining power away, however, even if Denver wasn't seriously interested in Foles. With the Broncos out of the free-agent equation, the rest of the QBs hitting the market will find one less viable option. With so few openings, and the likes of Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins waiting in the draft, Teddy Bridgewater, Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Tannehill (presumably), et al. could have trouble landing a sizable contract with a chance to compete for a starting gig. AFC cut candidates: Blake Bortles obvious, but Justin Houston? By Gregg Rosenthal NFL.com February 14, 2019

Julian Edelman was barely done with his Monday morning Super Bowl MVP press conference when the first cuts started. The Falcons waved goodbye to cornerback Robert Alford, who, two long years ago, had a pick-six of Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Alford was signed by the Cardinals just two days after his release, a reminder that free agency doesn't necessarily wait for mid-March.

Other notable names like Texans wideout Demaryius Thomas have been released since, but most of the roster pruning will take place closer to when the new league year starts on March 13.

Below is my best guess at projecting some of the potential AFC cuts. Check back on Thursday for the NFC rundown.

Note: Unless otherwise cited, salary-cap figures in this piece were found on OverTheCap.com.

Strong candidates for release

1) Case Keenum, QB, Denver Broncos: Broncos executive John Elway admitted Keenum was a "short-term" solution, and then he showed that he meant it in trading for Joe Flacco. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports that the Broncos will now shop Keenum. If nothing comes to fruition there, Elway is likely to eat the $6.5 million guaranteed on Keenum's 2019 contract to save salary-cap space, rather than let Keenum compete with Flacco.

2) Blake Bortles, QB, : Bortles will still cost the Jaguars $16.5 million against the cap in dead money, even if they cut him. That includes $6.5 million in guaranteed money due to Bortles in 2019 because of the deeply unnecessary contract extension Jags executive and general manager David Caldwell gave Bortles last offseason. It's up to the same front office to recover from that mistake quickly.

3) Malik Jackson, DT, Jacksonville Jaguars: Jackson has enjoyed a sneaky-good three-year run in Jacksonville and wasn't a huge liability last season, especially in a part-time role after his snaps were reduced late in the season. But $13 million is too much to pay for a rotational lineman when the Jags have real cap issues (see above) and real needs, and Jackson knows he's a goner. He won't be our No. 1 free agent again, but he'll inspire plenty of interest.

4-5) CB and WR Michael Crabtree, Baltimore Ravens: The two men whose end zone battle essentially decided Super Bowl XLVII could be linked again this offseason. Smith hasn't stayed on the field enough to earn his scheduled $9.5 million salary, while Crabtree's one season in Baltimore was a disappointment. The Ravens need to get younger and faster at wide receiver and in the secondary.

6) Ryan Tannehill, QB, : Due $38 million over the next two years, Tannehill's fate will be a great litmus test of just how desperate teams are in the quarterback market. There's a chance another team will see that contract and give up a draft pick to obtain it. A chance.

7-10) WR DeVante Parker, DE Robert Quinn, WR Danny Amendola and DE Andre Branch, Miami Dolphins: Nearly every genre of personnel mistake is represented here. Parker is an example of the first-round pick who fizzled out despite all sorts of chances. Amendola was the aging veteran overpaid for leadership. Quinn was the expensive trade acquisition who never made sense. Branch was the most costly of all, a homegrown contract-year hero who the club didn't correctly self-scout. These are the moves the Dolphins have made to win between six and eight games in nine of the last 10 years.

11) Donald Penn, OT, Oakland Raiders: Jon Gruden announced his intentions at tackle when the Raiders drafted two players at the position last year, and that came before Penn missed most of 2018 with a groin injury.

12) , LB, : Mike Tomlin has been patiently waiting for Dupree to live up to the Steelers' edge-rushing tradition for four seasons. Paying him $9.232 million on a fifth-year option would represent far too much patience.

13) Charles Clay, TE, : Clay was a splashy free-agent signing by former GM . He was a healthy scratch late last season, usually the final sign a player is on his way out.

Potential surprises 1) Justin Houston, LB/DE, : Houston is one of the best pass rushers of the last decade, so I was surprised how casually The Athletic's Nate Parker wrote that Houston was unlikely to return to the team in 2019 because of his $21.1 million cap figure.

The more I thought about it -- and read comments from Chiefs GM -- the more sense it made. The Chiefs are switching to a 4-3 defense under new coordinator , and Veach lauded how youngsters Chris Jones and Derrick Nnadi fit into the new system. The team has already said it will bring back Dee Ford, which probably means the franchise tag. Veach was vague about Houston's future. K.C. doesn't have a ton of cap space and needs to start making room for extensions for Jones, Tyreek Hill and eventually Patrick Mahomes. Houston can still play at a high level, but perhaps not at the level you'd expect for someone set to count for $21.1 million against the cap at age 30. If released, he'll get picked up quickly on a big deal elsewhere.

2) , OG, Oakland Raiders: New Raiders GM -- that still feels bizarre to write -- has plenty of cap space, but the team might want to continue getting younger up front.

3) Marcell Dareus, DT, Jacksonville Jaguars: Dareus is ultimately a valuable run-stopping specialist who is paid like a superstar.

4) , S, Baltimore Ravens: Weddle said after the season he'd retire before playing for another organization, but then backed off that statement. A valuable pickup by former GM , the 34-year-old no longer possesses the range he once had.

5) Jamie Collins, LB, : Still dogged by occasional complaints about his effort level, Collins' bigger issue is his lack of playmaking. It's been a while since NBC's called him one of the best defensive players in football.

6) S Devin McCourty or LB Dont'a Hightower, : has shown in the past he's not afraid to let go of highly paid defensive leaders. Retirement has been floated as an option for McCourty, which could be a pre-emptive strike against any Patriots request for a pay cut. Hightower was terrific in the playoffs and is the heartbeat of the team's linebacker group, but the Pats often err on the side of letting go of a player a year too early rather than keeping him a year too long. It's hard to imagine New England cutting both players, but saying goodbye to one would be a typical Belichickian way to move on from the Super Bowl afterglow.

Other players in trouble (in alphabetical order): Dwayne Allen, TE, New England Patriots; Kelvin Beachum, OT, ; Travis Benjamin, WR, Los Angeles Chargers; Morgan Burnett, S, Pittsburgh Steelers; Adrian Clayborn, DE, New England Patriots; Isaiah Crowell, RB, New York Jets; , S, ; , RB, Jacksonville Jaguars; Kevin Johnson, CB, Houston Texans; , CB, ; Ronald Leary, OG, Denver Broncos; Corey Liuget, DT, Los Angeles Chargers; Brandon Marshall, LB, Denver Broncos; AJ McCarron, QB, Oakland Raiders; Seth Roberts, WR, Oakland Raiders; Josh Sitton, OG, Miami Dolphins; Daniel Sorensen, S, Kansas City Chiefs.

Denver Sportswriter Working Hard to Put All the Positive Spin on the Joe Flacco Trade By Jason Lisk The Big Lead February 14, 2019

John Elway is trading a 4th round pick for Joe Flacco, and most of the national reaction has been amusement or bewilderment. This seems to be more of the same in the post-Manning years, where Elway is still grasping for answers, this time by turning to a 34-year-old who has not been very good recently.

But there is one man out there trying to put all the positive spin that can possibly be stomached on this one. Mike Klis, who wrote for the Denver Post for nearly 18 years and is now with 9news.com, is on a mission to serve as John Elway’s hype man.

Here you go:

Although Flacco is now one of the NFL’s older starting quarterbacks, he has played all 16 games in a season in nine of his 11 years. Sources told 9News the Broncos also discussed the possibility of Philadelphia’s Nick Foles, who was also available for trade, but Elway and the team deemed Flacco a better fit for a couple of reasons.

One, Flacco has played extensively under center while Foles was mostly a shotgun-spread QB when he finished strong each of the past two seasons with the Eagles. In the Scangarello West Coast-type offense, the Broncos’ center will play from under center plenty.

And two, Flacco was considered a better financial value than Foles, who is expected to command north of $25 million a year. Flacco will make $18.5 million in 2019 – which makes him the NFL’s 10th-highest paid quarterback, a ranking that figures to drop after Foles and the rookie draft class sign their new deals. Flacco is also scheduled to make $20.25 million in 2019 and $24.25 million in 2020. The contract will not be revised. Given the soaring QB market, Flacco’s deal is team-friendly.

Oh my. This is not a team-friendly deal. Also, even the top rookie deals average less than $7 million per year.

Joe Flacco has had the lowest yards per attempt of any QB over the last four years. He’s missed parts of two of the last four seasons with injuries. Paying him anywhere near a Top 10 salary is just lighting money on fire. At least they can cut him next offseason before paying more. But then they traded a fourth round pick for one year and to pay more than Green Bay pays Aaron Rodgers for one year of QB play, between Flacco’s salary and the likely cap hit from getting rid of Case Keenum.

Here are the lowest yards per attempt figures for quarterbacks, all-time, for a quarterback from age 30 to 33.

Mark Rypien, also a Super Bowl winner, was equally bad as he aged, and never started a game after age 33. Marc Bulger also retired by now. Jay Schroeder retired at age 33. Neil O’Donnell started three games total, across three seasons, as a backup, after his 34th birthday. came back for one more season and averaged under 6 yards per attempt. went 1-10 as the starting QB for the Buffalo Bills at age 34, and then was a backup. went 7-17 as a starter from age 34 to 36, with a yards per attempt under 5.6 every year. Greg Landry started two more games, and went 2-10 in his final year with the Jets at age 34, with a 5.8 yards per attempt average, then went to Arizona and started 8 games, before retiring after a return season to Cincinnati to backup Jeff Blake.

So what I’m saying is, Joe Flacco’s outlook is not good.

But let’s go on with Klis:

Okay, we can hope the past four years don’t matter.

Elway is executing the plan, folks. He didn’t just wake up and flip a coin.

If those guys can stick around at the same productivity as they had in their early thirties, why can’t Flacco? Oh wait, never mind, no team would want that.

Now there’s the good stuff. Did Elway know that Mark Sanchez is also available? That guy is killer on the road in the playoffs.

Make sure to thank Elway, err, the source, for passing this text on personally.

Again, If Belichick and Brady can do it, the Broncos totally have a solid plan in place here.

As a Chiefs fan, I hope he remains in charge forever. The Broncos are one of two franchises (Buffalo is the other) that has not drafted a pro bowler yet in the last six drafts.

One has to wonder what Klis gets out of all of this in exchange for carrying water. We know it’s not the scoop that the trade is occurring, because Adam Schefter and other national writers were on it first.

Joe Flacco Trade Another Ill-Conceived Move by John Elway to Chase Glory Days By Mike Tanier Bleacher Report February 14, 2019

There are three kinds of bad ideas in this world: typical bad ideas, truly terrible ideas and John Elway's quarterback ideas.

Elway's quarterback ideas are catastrophically misguided, inexplicably shortsighted, cripplingly expensive and intrinsically doomed. And each new idea is bigger, louder and more disastrous than the last.

Elway's Broncos agreed to trade for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco on Wednesday, per multiple reports. The trade won't be official until the start of the new league year in mid-March. But Elway's premature rush to acquire a veteran quarterback whose services were in dubious demand is just one of the many peculiarities of this strange, highly questionable, extremely Elway-like transaction.

Flacco, who is now 34 years old, suffered a hip injury in the second half of last season and subsequently lost his starting job to rookie Lamar Jackson. Jackson led a playoff run and produced some thrilling highlights, but he never completed more than 14 passes in a game. He also fumbled a dozen times and forced the Ravens to switch to a service academy offense to get the most out of him.

Jackson was universally hailed as an upgrade over Flacco, which tells you all you need to know about the current quality of Flacco's play.

The Ravens were motivated sellers in a quarterback market that will soon be flooded with younger free agents, including Nick Foles. They must be thrilled to have stumbled upon an even more motivated buyer.

Meanwhile, the Broncos finished 6-10 last year with Case Keenum, Elway's previous veteran franchise savior, at the helm of a popgun offense. Last season's results seemed to disprove Elway's working theory that the Broncos, whose defense carried Peyton Manning to a Super Bowl victory while he was in the process of Thanos-poofing into dust in 2015, were still good enough to be playoff contenders with a competent veteran journeyman at quarterback.

But Elway quarterback ideas, like flat-earth theories, are not so easily disproven. Not to Elway, anyway.

The Flacco-Broncos trade unites a fading, mediocre quarterback with a fading, mediocre roster. It isn't just a dreary alliance with no feasible path to success, but an expensive one.

Flacco somehow still has three years and more than $60 million left on his contract. None of that money is guaranteed, but Flacco will cost the Broncos $18.5 million in base salary alone this year. Keenum is guaranteed $7 million for 2019 and will cost the team $10 million in cap space due to prorated bonuses even if he's released or traded.

So the Broncos, who already have a great deal of cash and cap space locked up on aging veterans from their 2012-15 heyday, will be shelling out an awful lot of money for a pair of quarterbacks whose best years weren't fantastic and are now behind them.

Flacco's presence also makes it unlikely that the Broncos will draft Drew Lock or Dwayne Haskins. Elway couldn't even wait until he had a look at the quarterbacks at this year's combine before trading for one. And he'll send the Ravens a fourth-round draft pick (per Broncos reporter Mike Klis of Denver's 9News), which deprives him of yet another resource to improve the team in the short and long term.

The Flacco trade comes only one year after Elway signed Keenum, a longtime third-stringer who had a career year for the Vikings (who, tellingly, made little effort to retain him), to a two-year, $36 million contract. It comes three years after Elway spent a first-round pick on Paxton Lynch, a big guy with a strong arm who was as tough under pressure as a soap bubble.

There were other regrettable quarterback ideas along the way: thirsty try-hard Trevor Siemian, living statue Brock Osweiler, All-Nepotism Team MVP Chad Kelly. Elway has also fired coaches, coordinators and even position-level assistants, and he had a sudden falling out with longtime majordomo Gary Kubiak in January. Elway's coaching ideas are almost as bad as his quarterback ideas, but that's a topic for another time.

From a failed first-round pick to an overpriced journeyman off a hot streak to an injured-and-upstaged stale meme with an upside-down mortgage, every Elway quarterback idea makes the Broncos older, less competitive and more expensive. That's not how franchise-building is supposed to be done.

But the Broncos cannot help but move backward under Elway, because Elway is living in the past.

Elway is mentally trapped in the Manning glory years. He looks at the roster and still sees the team that went 50-14 across four seasons, won one Super Bowl and reached another, an island of Broncos success in a sea of Patriots dominance.

It wasn't that long ago, after all. Some of the familiar faces are even still around, like Von Miller and Chris Harris. If Elway wants to fool himself into thinking that the Broncos still have a great defense and a championship core, even as veterans age and drift away and the team's record droops, there's enough circumstantial evidence to preserve the illusion.

And now, along comes Flacco, who made his reputation by doing two things:

• Winning with the help of a great defense; and • Beating the Broncos (and Patriots, Colts and 49ers) in the playoffs en route to winning the Super Bowl in the 2012 season. Yes, that was six years ago. Flacco was a younger, better quarterback back then. The Broncos were a vastly superior team. But Elway is still trapped in that past.

We see a team that ranked 13th in points allowed and 22nd in yards allowed (hardly a defensive juggernaut) trading for the quarterback who finished 28th in quarterback rating last year. Elway sees a championship-caliber roster acquiring the proven winner who beat them (with the help of a fluke play and some horrible coaching) in the playoffs a few short years (but an NFL lifetime) ago.

This is some Sunset Boulevard-level stuff.

There's no charitable way to frame the Flacco trade logically. Elway thinks his Broncos are still one big splash away from a major comeback. No one has the heart, authority or courage to force him to embrace reality.

The worst part of the Flacco-Broncos trade is the excruciating caliber of football it will produce. The Siemian-Lynch-Osweiler Broncos were a chore to watch. The Keenum Broncos, despite the presence of promising youngsters like Phillip Lindsay, were a snore. Now the Broncos will be led by Flacco, who was mostly known for driving the Ravens to 50-yard field goals even in his triumphant seasons.

The Broncos need a dose of vitality as much as they needed a new quarterback. They are desperate for a new face, a fresh start and a quarterback who might not be perfect but carries the promise of getting better. That's exactly the kind of promise and hope Jackson brought to the Ravens.

The Broncos need a new face of their franchise. Manning was a great one. Miller was a good one, but it's time for someone new. Creaky, oak-tree immobile, unsalted-cracker dull Flacco proved last year that he is long removed from his days as a face-of-the-franchise type.

For now, Elway is once again the face of the Broncos. He likes it that way. In fact, he's ready for his close- up. And letting him continue to run the team this way is worse than a truly terrible idea. NFL News: Baltimore Ravens Trade Joe Flacco To Denver Broncos By Vincent Frank Forbes February 14, 2019

Once veteran Joe Flacco lost his starting job to rookie Lamar Jackson last season, it became relatively clear that the quarterback’s 11-year tenure with the Baltimore Ravens was set to come to an end.

Given Flacco’s lack of on-field success since leading Baltimore to the Super Bowl title back in February of 2013, no one really thought the team would get anything for him in a trade. Instead, common logic suggested Flacco and his bloated contract would hit free agency.

Denver Broncos general manager John Elway — a man that continues to struggle with quarterback evaluation — disagreed. On Wednesday, Elway agreed in principle to acquire Flacco from the Ravens for a mid-round draft pick. The deal can’t be completed until the start of the new league year on March 13.

There’s so many angles to this. A lot of it certainly is financial. The decision to trade for Flacco comes less than a calendar year after Denver signed veteran journeyman Case Keenum to a two-year, $36 million contract.

Said deal called for $25 million in guarantees. Keenum has a cap hit of $21 million for the 2019 season. Denver can save $11 million by releasing Keenum, but that also comes with a $10 million dead cap hit.

Keenum, 30, was a downright disaster for the Broncos last season — leading the team to a 6-10 record while throwing just 18 touchdowns compared to 15 interceptions.

It goes without saying that the Broncos will release Keenum in short order. Unlike Flacco, he’s not going to net anything in a trade. After all, John Elway is not on the other end to answer the phone.

As it relates to Flacco, he now has zero guaranteed cash remaining on his contract after the Ravens took a dead cap hit by trading the veteran. Flacco is set to earn base salaries of $18.5, $20.25 and $24.25 million over the next three seasons respectively.

If the Broncos were to somehow hang on to Keenum as insurance for the 2019 season, they’d be paying out nearly $40 million in cap space to two quarterbacks. If Keenum is gone, the cap expenditure for that position would be $28.5 million. Of course, that’s barring Flacco and the Broncos coming to terms on a new contract. This is a distinct possibility.

Meanwhile, the move is an absolute boon for the Ravens. They were already going to take on a dead cap hit by releasing Flacco. Picking up a mid-round pick in return has to be seen as a win.

Though, it doesn’t come without financial cost. Baltimore took a $16 million dead cap hit by trading Flacco. It also saved $10.5 million against the 2019 cap. Given that Lamar Jackson is playing under a rookie deal, said cap hit is mitigated to an extent.

Flacco, 34, has put up an average of 3,179 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and about 12 interceptions over the past four seasons. His former Ravens squad boasted a 24-27 record in 51 starts during that span. He might be an upgrade over Keenum, but it’s not a major upgrade.

Selected 32nd overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, Lamar Jackson replaced Flacco under center about midway through his rookie campaign. He led the team to a 6-1 record in seven starts — accounting for 11 total touchdowns and three interceptions in the process.

Ultimately, Jackson led Baltimore to a surprise playoff appearance after having seen the team average 25.1 points per game with him under center. Baltimore fell to the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wildcard Playoffs.

Baltimore’s cap savings by virtue of this deal will help the team be active in free agency. New general manager Eric DeCosta noted recently that Jackson would be a tremendous draw for those on the open market next month. Based on what we saw last season, he’s probably right.

Denver’s decision to trade for Flacco likely doesn’t change the team’s 2019 NFL Draft plans all too much. Selecting No. 10 overall, the team has been linked to quarterbacks during the pre-draft process. Some recent reports suggest that Missouri’s Drew Lock is an option.

Flacco obviously remains a stopgap option in Mile High. He’ll likely mentor a young quarterback from here on out.

Though, this is John Elway we’re talking about. From Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch to Case Keenum, he’s gone against the grain multiple times at quarterback. If this is a win-now move, the Broncos might very well look at a different position come April.

Unofficially, Baltimore is now top 10 among NFL teams in cap space with $50-plus million. Denver sits at $18.23 million under the cap. That will change once the team releases Keenum.

Emmanuel Sanders, Chris Harris like Flacco trade, want to see more pieces added By Josh Alper Pro Football Talk February 14, 2019

Reactions to news that the Broncos and Ravens have agreed to a trade that will send quarterback Joe Flacco to Denver when the 2019 league year begins came from all over the football world on Wednesday.

A couple of Flacco’s teammates-to-be were among those weighing in on the move. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and cornerback Chris Harris had similar takes on the move.

Harris said he likes the deal and added that “hopefully we get more pieces around him” as the offseason continues. Sanders called it a “big move” by General Manager John Elway.

“Veteran leader who has won the big game,” Sanders texted to Mike Klis of KUSA. “We also have money to spend to in free agency as well. Looking forward to seeing more pieces put into place.”

Receiver is a spot the Broncos could stand to add a piece even if Sanders was sure to be ready for the start of the regular season. After tearing his Achilles in December, that’s not a sure thing and that may up the need as the Broncos try to set Flacco up for success in his first year with the team. Joe Flacco’s stats have been below average for four straight years By Michael David Smith Pro Football Talk February 14, 2019

It’s been a long time since Joe Flacco played like an elite quarterback.

Flacco, who will be traded from the Ravens to the Broncos, has had below-average numbers for four consecutive years. Here’s how Flacco’s passer rating compares to the league average passer rating in each of the last four seasons:

2018: Flacco 84.2, NFL average 92.9. 2017: Flacco 80.4, NFL average 86.9. 2016: Flacco 83.5, NFL average 89.3. 2015: Flacco 83.1, NFL average 90.2.

Only two quarterbacks in the NFL have thrown 300 or more passes and had a below-average passer rating each of the last four seasons: Blake Bortles and Flacco.

Broncos General Manager John Elway has spent a long time looking for another franchise quarterback after Peyton Manning’s retirement, and he still hasn’t found one. If Flacco is finally going to be the answer, he’s going to have to play a whole lot better than he has the last four years. Broncos considered Foles before settling on Flacco By Mike Florio Pro Football Talk February 14, 2019

The Broncos had not one but two former Super Bowl MVPs in mind at quarterback.

Via Mike Klis of 9news.com in Denver, the Broncos considered Eagles quarterback Nick Foles before ultimately striking a deal with the Ravens for quarterback Joe Flacco. Foles was the Super Bowl LII MVP; Flacco won the prize five years earlier.

As Klis explains it, Flacco has considerable playing time under center, which makes him a better fit in the new Denver offense. Also, Flacco is deemed to be a better financial value with a contract that pays $18.5 million in 2019; Foles will end up with a staring point of $25 million for 2019, if the Eagles tag him before trading him.

With Denver out of the mix for Foles, Foles becomes a more likely option for the Jaguars, who employ former Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo as the team’s offensive coordinator. Broncos send their first fourth-rounder to Ravens for Joe Flacco By Darin Gantt Pro Football Talk February 14, 2019

The Ravens unloaded quarterback Joe Flacco for a fourth-round pick Wednesday.

But at least it was the good fourth-round pick.

According to Mike Klis of KUSA, the pick the Broncos are sending in exchange for Flacco is the first of the two fourth-rounders the Broncos had.

Their own pick is the 11th in the fourth round, and they also acquired Houston’s (the 23rd in the fourth round) in exchange for wide receiver Demaryius Thomas last season. The Ravens will be getting the first one.

If the earlier projections of compensatory picks are correct (which included seven teams getting third- rounders), that would slot the pick at the 114th overall spot. Flacco was the 18th overall pick in 2005, and helped the Ravens win a Super Bowl in the process.

Report: Ravens to trade Joe Flacco to Denver By Mike Florio Pro Football Talk February 14, 2019

The offseason is officially here.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Broncos and Ravens have a deal in place to send veteran quarterback Joe Flacco from Baltimore to Denver. The trade will become official on March 13, the first day of the 2019 league year.

The Ravens were expected to trade Flacco this offseason, but the Broncos weren’t widely viewed as a potential destination. However, it was Flacco who launched a desperation rainbow to Jacoby Jones at Mile High Stadium in the 2012 playoffs, forcing what would become double overtime and ultimately beating the Broncos en route to a Super Bowl XLVII championship, with Flacco winning the MVP award.

Then there’s the fact that new Broncos coach Vic Fangio worked for the Ravens from 2006 through 2008, overlapping with Flacco by two years.

Flacco is due to receive a base salary of $18.5 million in 2019. Trading him triggers $16 million in dead money for the Ravens, but creates a net cap savings for 2019 of $9.5 million. Could Case Keenum end up back in Minnesota? By Mike Florio Pro Football Talk February 14, 2019

Denver. Could Keenum work his way back to Minnesota?

That possibility will be quickly dismissed because the Vikings have quarterback Kirk Cousins under contract for two more years, at fully-guaranteed compensation packages of $28 million in 2019 and $30 million in 2020.

But let’s not dismiss it immediately. If the Vikings could find a trade partner for the balance of Cousins’ deal, they’d take a cap hit of only $2 million (Cousins received a $3 million signing bonus). The question is whether someone would trade for Cousins’ remaining agreement, at $58 million over two years.

There are three teams to possibly watch in this regard. First, the Bengals. New coach has worked for the past two years with Rams coach Sean McVay, who has worked with and who has a high opinion of Cousins. Taylor told PFT Live that he’ll be using McVay’s playbook as a starting point for the Bengals, which would make for a seamless transition, if Cousins were to land in Cincinnati.

Second, the Jaguars. Former Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo is now the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville. With DeFilippo also tied to Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, the Jaguars could explore either — and they could leverage the Eagles against the Vikings in order to get the best possible deal.

Third, the Giants. Per a league source, Giants coach Pat Shurmur had lobbied for the Vikings to sign Kirk Cousins before Shurmur became the coach of the Giants. While that may not bode well for Keenum to become a candidate to be signed by New York, it could prompt the Giants to bring Cousins back to the NFC East.

Apart from Cousins’ contract is the compensation necessary to effect a trade. If the Vikings’ organization has come to the same conclusion that many Minnesota fans have — that Cousins may not be the guy — maybe the Vikings would take not very much at all in order to wipe Cousins’ contract off the books. Especially if new offensive coordinator (who has been with the Vikings since 2006) believes in the guy who took the Vikings to the final four in 2017.

Report: Broncos won’t rework Joe Flacco’s contract By Josh Alper Pro Football Talk February 14, 2019

When word first broke that the Broncos are set to trade for quarterback Joe Flacco when the new league year gets underway in March, there were reports that reworking Flacco’s contract could be part of their plans as well.

Mike Klis of KUSA reports that is not expected to be the case, however. Flacco’s contract calls for him to make $18.5 million during the 2019 season and his salaries for 2020 and 2021 are $20.25 million and $24.25 million.

Those will also be Flacco’s cap hits for those seasons and none of the salaries are guaranteed, so the Broncos can move on from Flacco without any dead money left over although they’d prefer it if Flacco plays well enough to justify that cost.

The Broncos also have Case Keenum on the books with a $21 million cap number and $7 million in guaranteed money for 2019. Moving on from him would leave $10 million in dead money, but there’s no commitment to Keenum in 2020 or beyond.

Broncos expected to trade mid-round pick for Joe Flacco By Josh Alper Pro Football Talk February 14, 2019

The deal cannot become official until the new league year starts on March 13, but Joe Flacco is expected to move from Baltimore to Denver once trades can be completed.

According to multiple reports, the Ravens are expected to get a mid-round pick back from the Broncos as compensation for the quarterback they moved to the bench in favor of rookie Lamar Jackson. The Broncos currently have nine 2019 picks, including two fourth-round selections and two fifth-round selections.

Flacco’s contract calls for him to make a salary of $18.5 million in 2019 and he’s signed through 2021 with a total cap liability of $63 million once you remove the $16 million in dead cap space the Ravens will take on in the deal. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Flacco is expected to rework his deal with the Broncos.

Finding out the exact pick heading back to Baltimore is only one of the questions left open by this deal. There’s also the matter of what the Broncos will do with Case Keenum and how Flacco’s exit from the market affects other teams in the market for quarterback help this offseason, to name two things to watch over the next month.

UPDATE 12:04 p.m. ET: Multiple reports indicate it will be one of the two fourth-round picks going to Baltimore. The Broncos have their pick along with the one they acquired from the Texans in the Demaryius Thomas trade. Denver’s own pick is the 11th in the fourth round and the Texans’ pick is 12 selections further down the order.