Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in early January that quarterback Joe Flacco would have a market, and the prediction proved correct.
The Ravens on Wednesday traded Flacco to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a fourth-round pick, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, via sources informed of the situation. The team later made the news official.
Rapoport added that Flacco, who had three years remaining on his contract, will need to rework his deal for the Broncos. ESPN's Adam Schefter was first to report the trade.
The 34-year-old Flacco is set to join the Broncos after 11 seasons in Baltimore. He helped lead the Ravens to seven postseason appearances, which includes a win in Super Bowl XLVII where Flacco was named the MVP.
Flacco started nine games in 2018 before a hip injury resulted in the Ravens turning to rookie Lamar Jackson, the Ravens' second of two first-round picks in 2018. Flacco completed just 61.2 percent of his passes -- his lowest mark since the 2013 season -- and threw 12 touchdowns with six interceptions. The Ravens went 4-5 with Flacco under center, while Jackson led the team to a 6-1 record down the stretch and a postseason berth.
Flacco will now enter the 2019 season as the starter over Case Keenum, who recently expressed he wasn't worried about the Broncos making a potential move to bolster the quarterback position. The Broncos signed Keenum to a two-year, $36 million deal during free agency in 2018, but received an underwhelming performance en route to missing the postseason for a third consecutive year.
Broncos exec John Elway has searched for a quarterback ever since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 season. In the span since Manning hung up his cleats, the Broncos have gone through a carousel of signal-callers with Keenum, Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch.
Flacco now joins the ranks and should have every opportunity to provide stability in Denver.
