Joe Flacco, who turns 41 in January, is experiencing a renaissance since being traded to the Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals. He’s gone just 1-3 as a starter for Cincy, but those losses can hardly be pinned on him. He’s thrown 11 TDs against two picks while averaging over 300 yards per game through the air. Flacco is playing so well that some are even suggesting he could end up in Canton. Seriously.
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The most interesting thing about Flacco’s resurgence in southwest Ohio is just how bad he looked in northeast Ohio for the first month of the season with the Cleveland Browns. During that four-game run, he averaged barely 200 yards a game while putting up a 2-6 TD-INT ratio. But it’s almost like that awful start to the year has already been forgotten.
The Flacco-led offense has averaged 37.7 points over the last three games. It’s the defense that has struggled, allowing 39.0 per game. In fact, the offense’s performance has been so impressive that Rob Gronkowski began arguing for Flacco to earn a bronze bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Joe Flacco is a Hall of Famer. His excitement level is through the absolute roof. I love what he’s doing… Just how much he’s bringing to the game of football in [his] 40s is just incredible,” Gronk said in an episode of Dudes on Dudes.
“And his comments as well, I really loved what he said, he’s like, something about being the only guy at the bar and just watching the game is one of the greatest pleasures, it was along those lines. You gotta respect Joe Flacco, what he’s doing,” added the former TE.
Gronkowski burnished his argument for Flacco’s HOF campaign by reminding everyone that the QB won a Super Bowl (and a Super Bowl MVP) back in 2012. Gronk’s co-host, Julian Edelman, was also convinced of Flacco’s credentials.
“Gronk: Remember, he has a Super Bowl ring as well with the Baltimore Ravens.
Edelman: He brought the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs! I think Flacco’s a Hall of Famer.
Gronk: Definitely.”
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However, you’ll notice that they only mentioned that one Super Bowl win. And that’s because, as good and as consistent as Flacco has been, he has earned zero other accolades, apart from his Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023. He has never been named an All-Pro or even a Pro Bowler throughout his 18-year career. Without any recognition of that sort, it’s pretty much impossible for Flacco to get into Canton.
28 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame never made a Pro Bowl. However, all 28 of them played their football before the invention of the Pro Bowl in 1951. There’s just no chance Flacco can make it in considering his credentials, or lack thereof.
Gronk and Jules were certainly suffering from a severe case of recency bias when they cooked up that argument.
