The NFL is one of the most competitive environments in professional sports. And while football is the ultimate team game, when it comes to seizing opportunities, especially for veterans nearing the end of their careers, it’s every man for himself.
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Opportunities aren’t infinite in and around the game. But there’s always a younger, hungrier player waiting in the wings to take the spot. Joe Flacco, 40, who is counting down his final days in the league, is well aware of this cut-throat aspect of football.
That’s why Flacco didn’t hesitate to sign with the Cleveland Browns this offseason — fully aware that with Deshaun Watson still recovering from injury, he’d likely start. The Browns also brought in Kenny Pickett, but he posed little threat. However, Cleveland then drafted two quarterbacks, changing the weather in their quarterback room.
Though they are competitors, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will need time — and plenty of guidance — before they’re ready to lead an NFL offense. The Browns may have hoped Flacco would step into a mentor role for the young QBs. But when asked about it, the veteran made his stance clear: He’s not there to coach or be a mentor — he’s there to play.
Flacco’s honesty might rub some people the wrong way, but not Shannon Sharpe or Chad Johnson.
Ocho backed Flacco, arguing that he is a player, not a coach. After all, the veteran is there to take as many snaps as possible and protect his livelihood, not hand over reps to rookies who could eventually take his job and cost him millions.
“That man is not there to be no goddamn mentor man. These dudes behind me are trying to take food off my plate, they’re trying to take money out of my pocket,” said Ocho.
“They are trying to take my goddamn job. No, I’m not mentoring sh*t. I’m trying to keep my job. It’s the NFL, man. We are here to make money. This is a business. I’m not here to mentor you. You get your own sh*t together. We ain’t in college no more,” he reiterated.
Ocho also took issue with why a reporter would try to corner Flacco into justifying self-preservation in such a cutthroat league. The Browns signed Flacco to play football, not to develop their draft picks. Sharpe echoed the sentiment.
“That’s got to be natural. It’s just you going on a job, and some guy takes you under their wing. That’s the choice that he or she makes. They are under no obligation. I was the opposite. It’s not someone’s job to mentor you,” said Sharpe.
There are plenty of examples in the NFL of veteran quarterbacks taking young rookies under their wing. Alex Smith famously mentored Patrick Mahomes during his rookie season in Kansas City, and Aaron Rodgers played a similar role for Jordan Love in Green Bay. These prove that mentorship is possible, even in such a competitive environment.
But for every story like that, there are just as many where the veteran took a different route. Favre openly admitted he wasn’t interested in mentoring Rodgers, and Joe Montana didn’t take Steve Young under his wing either. In both cases, the message was clear: It’s not personal—it’s business.
That’s the nature of the NFL. You can choose to be the good guy and help the next generation succeed, or you can focus on protecting your spot, your career, and your earnings.
And given how cutthroat the league is, the second option often seems like the smarter one. After all, staying on the field means staying in the paycheck. Flacco understands that and is willing to do anything to fight off the competition.
