At 38 years old and years removed from his last starting job, unemployed throughout most of the season, the milestone seemed elusive. But in just his second start as a member of the Cleveland Browns, QB Joe Flacco joined elite company, becoming just the 19th quarterback in NFL history to reach 100 career wins.
A Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP with the Baltimore Ravens, with whom he spent the majority of his career, Flacco has been the butt of jokes over time. But not many quarterbacks can match his career achievements.
Ninety-six of his wins came during his first 11 years with the Ravens. Two came with the Denver Broncos. He got one as a member of the New York Jets last year. And now, he becomes the fourth different quarterback to win a game starting for the Cleveland Browns in 2023, head coach Kevin Stefanski naming him the starter for the rest of the season.
“I was aware of it”, Flacco admitted after the game, referring to the fact that he was on the cusp of 100 career wins. “Not during the game and things like that, but you are aware of it and I’m definitely proud of it when it’s all said and done. Someday I will look at that and it will be something that I’m sure I’ll be proud of”.
The win breaks a tie with Alex Smith, and now puts him one game behind Jim Kelly for all-time wins by a quarterback. He is also two away from Warren Moon, the last name he could conceivably reach by the end of the 2023 season. He is just seven games behind Terry Bradshaw, who retired with 107 wins.
He is also one of three active quarterbacks with 100-plus career wins, joining Aaron Rodgers, who played about three seconds in 2023, and Russell Wilson. Matt Ryan has not technically retired yet but has not been with a team this year. Some of the other luminaries in the 100-win club include all of the obvious Hall of Famers, like Peyton Manning and Dan Marino. The only players with 100-plus wins who are not in the Hall of Fame are not yet eligible, including Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, and Eli Manning.
Flacco now holds an all-time 100-82 record. In his first five seasons with the Ravens, he led Baltimore to a 56-26 record, plus a 9-4 postseason record and a Lombardi Trophy. For perspective, that’s more postseason wins than Mike Tomlin has in his career as a head coach. Flacco is 10-5 overall in the postseason.
He has somehow enjoyed a resurgence since signing with the Browns, throwing for 311 yards and three touchdowns yesterday. He has 565 passing yards and five touchdowns along with two interceptions since stepping into the huddle in Cleveland, having helped salvage their season.
Still, it’s hard to see how much further it will all go. This feels more like a swan song than a second wind. These may be the last games of his career before he hangs it up, because I can’t imagine another team is going to view him as a starter in 2024. Regardless of what happens in the future, he seems truly appreciative of the opportunity he has right now, no doubt one he thought he might never have again.
