With Zach Wilson sidelined, why Jets are so confident in Joe Flacco

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — There's no rah-rah with Joe Flacco. He won't scream and yell or get in anyone's face. But when Flacco walks into the huddle and calmly tells his Jets teammates that they're about to get a first down or a touchdown, they pretty much always get one.

Flacco plays with the nonchalant competence and confidence of a 37-year-old quarterback entering his 15th NFL season.  

"He's just very controlled and calm. … Having him adds a swag to it," receiver Elijah Moore said.

During a 2-minute drill last week against the Falcons, in preparation for the Atlanta-New York preseason game on Monday, Flacco put his offense in field-goal range as time expired. The drive was machine-like, with Flacco operating a simultaneously collected but explosive New York offense against a clearly lesser Falcons defense.

With quarterback Zach Wilson likely to miss time during the regular season following last week's knee surgery, Flacco is thriving as New York's fill-in QB1. It's almost worth wondering whether he's poised to enjoy some sort of renaissance in the window when Wilson is out with a bone bruise and a meniscus tear. 

At Jets camp, Flacco seems as comfortable as he has looked since serving as the long-time starter for the Ravens, even if everything is relatively unfamiliar compared to back then. Over the past season and a half, Flacco has learned a new offense, the one that's taking over the NFL: the Shanahan-LaFleur-McDaniel offense. 

But this is not an old-dog-new-tricks scenario.

"To survive, you've got to evolve," Jets coach Robert Saleh said when asked whether Flacco is evolving in Year 15 in the NFL. "And you've got to find ways to maximize who you are at that moment. He is a wealth of experience. He's got great command in the huddle, great command at the line of scrimmage. It's good to have him."

Flacco played in a similar offense back in 2014 under former Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. It was the best statistical season of Flacco's career: He threw 27 touchdown passes (career-high) with 3,986 passing yards (second-highest) and a 91.0 passer rating (second-highest). But Flacco and Saleh acknowledged that the Jets' system, headed by offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, isn't a carbon copy of what Kubiak ran. 

That is fine with Flacco, who says that learning this new offense presents a challenge.

"It's always good to put your mind and learn something new in any part of your life," Flacco told FOX Sports. "It keeps me engaged, and it keeps it fun. If it wasn't new, it'd be a lot easier to probably slip into the everyday routine. And you kind of forget what you're doing and lose track of how lucky we are."

Flacco feels fortunate to have had a long career, which includes a Super Bowl title with the Ravens in 2013. He won't put a number on how long he wants to continue, though he says he doesn't want to play to age 45 like Tom Brady has. Flacco has never willingly considered retiring, but he admits he feared his career was in jeopardy after neck surgery in 2020. That followed a 2-6 run with the Broncos, when he completed 65.3% of his passes for 1,822 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions. 

"You just don't know what teams are going to think," said Flacco, who had surgery on a herniated disc. "And so it's not that I thought about retiring. I didn't want to retire, but I was definitely a little nervous that it might be forced upon me. So I'm definitely happy with where I'm at and the opportunity."

New York called in 2020. But this wasn't the Saleh-era Jets; this was Adam Gase's Jets. Flacco spent the season as Sam Darnold's backup, and he made a few appearances, including four starts. For the first half of the 2021 season, Flacco played with the Philadelphia Eagles as Jalen Hurts' backup. Philly traded Flacco back to the Jets in October 2021, which is when he assumed the role as Wilson's backup. 

Though Flacco got a bad rap as being disinterested in mentoring Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, the veteran has assumed the role of a wizened backup in recent years, fostering a crop of young signal-callers.

"The fact that I'm a backup — trust me — I'm not the happiest man in the world about that," Flacco said. "But it is what it is. I'm only in so much control of that. I'm on the Jets. Zach is the starting quarterback, and so all I can do is keep my head down and work and have a good attitude about it. And that's what I'm doing. I'm going to enjoy playing, enjoy helping him out."

Wilson's knee injury reportedly could keep him out until Week 3. For fill-in Flacco, there's something coincidental and poetic about a Week 1 appointment against the Ravens, whose decision to draft Jackson in 2018 precipitated Flacco's descent down depth charts. 

"The first four games of the season are all against the AFC North," Flacco said. "It's kind of wild. … I'm excited about getting the opportunity if that's what happens."

Getting additional reps with the top offense, Flacco has increased his rapport with receivers like Moore, Corey Davis and Garrett Wilson. Those quality reps — especially in simulations against the Falcons — are enormously valuable for Flacco as he works on an abbreviated preparation plan for Week 1. 

He seems to have impressed his wideouts.

"There's definitely a difference [between Flacco and Zach Wilson]," rookie Garrett Wilson said last week. "There's a lot of experience right there with Flacco. He takes some pace off then puts some pace on the ball. He kind of does a good job of making the passes receiver-friendly."

On paper, the Jets have improved substantially in 2022, with a haul in the draft (cornerback Ahmad Gardner, Wilson, defensive ends Jermaine Johnson and Micheal Clemons and running back Breece Hall) and starting-caliber free-agent signings (tackle Duane Brown, tight ends C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin, cornerback D.J. Reed, safety Jordan Whitehead and kicker Greg Zuerlein). 

But coming off a 4-12 season, the Jets don't have much in the way of tangible proof they're a good football team. They will have tough competition in the AFC East, which looks impressive.

"I think it's going to take going out there in the regular season and proving it to ourselves that we can do it before we really get the confidence to take off," Flacco said. "I don't think we've mentally reached a point where we know we're good."

Flacco may not be the starting QB by the time that happens. But while he is, he'll keep moving the team forward one huddle at a time.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.