Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco is returning to New York for another stint with the Jets. The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Tuesday night that they had traded Flacco to the Jets while picking up a 2022 conditional sixth-rounder in return.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the sixth-round pick can become a fifth-rounder depending on Flacco’s playing time.
Flacco spent the 2020 NFL season with the Jets, serving as a backup for Sam Darnold. He ended up starting four games with the franchise after Darnold got hurt, going 0-4 and throwing for 864 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The 36-year-old left New York after his contract expired at the end of the season and ended up signing with the Philadelphia Eagles to serve as their second QB behind Jalen Hurts. He failed to play a single snap for Philly in the first seven weeks of 2021.
The Jets found themselves in need of a quarterback after their rookie Zach Wilson went down with a knee injury last week. Head coach Robert Saleh is expected to stick with four-year veteran Mike White under center in Wilson’s absence while Flacco steps into a backup role.
“Joe is just a great person to be around, a great pro to be around, had a phenomenal preseason, and was really good for our [QB] room,” said Eagles coach Nick Sirianni after the trade became official. “But the opportunity arose for him to go and be able to contribute somewhere else and also for us to get a pick for that. But our time with Joe Flacco was really good.”
