Joe Flacco took care of business Saturday, but will the Baltimore Ravens take care of their young quarterback during the offseason?
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NFL Replay will re-air the
Baltimore Ravens' 38-35 win over the
Denver Broncos from the AFC divisional playoffs on Monday, Jan. 14
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Flacco is set to become a free agent, but he hasn't spoken with the Ravens in months about a new contract, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday. Those talks will get underway after the season, and Flacco's agent, Joe Linta, told Rapoport, "He's a top-five guy, if not better. ... If you don't think that's an elite guy, then you're crazy."
That would have been chuckled at in days past, but Flacco made his case with a heady showing in Saturday's 38-35 double-overtime victory over the Denver Broncos.
The fifth-year pro gutted Denver's defense for 331 passing yards and three touchdowns. He aggressively dialed up big-play passes and shredded the Broncos' secondary on the road.
Flacco never has been his best in the opponent's house, but the Ravens seemed more comfortable than their hosts in Denver's subfreezing temperatures. Flacco never blinked.
"The guy has won 54 (regular-season) games; (the) guy is eventually going to get respect," Linta said. "The great thing about Joe is he doesn't care."
Whether or not the Ravens are willing to dish out top-five quarterback money is up for debate, but they might not have a choice if they'd like to keep Flacco.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
