Why Joe Flacco's contract should not prevent the Broncos from making sure he's played his last game in Denver

 

How will history recall the Joe Flacco era in Denver?

Okay, okay, it may not be *officially* over after the Broncos placed him on injured reserve Friday, effectively ending his 2019 season after eight games, six touchdown passes, five interceptions and an ESPN QBR of 47.7 that is the lowest since his rookie season and settles in between Trevor Siemian’s 2016 QBR (48.4) and Case Keenum’s 2018 QBR (45.5).

Different names. Different styles. Different resumes.

Same subterranean quarterbacking.

So what’s next — beyond Brandon Allen starting Sunday, Brett Rypien backing him up and Drew Lock potentially making his starting debut in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers?

Well … the Broncos could bring Flacco back for the 2020 season — even though Broncos Country appears to be resolutely against this:

Poll time!

Joe Flacco will go on injured reserve today.

Do you want to see him back for the Broncos in 2020?

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) November 1, 2019

I respect and appreciate contrarianism. I’ve lived there many times myself. Nevertheless, I would like to have a conversation with the small percentage of people who want to see Flacco return to the Broncos in 2020.

Because he shouldn’t.

His production clearly doesn’t warrant it. His passer rating of 85.1 lingers among the worst quarterbacks in the NFL — and remains in the same range of his 2015-18 efficiency numbers.  In other words, the Broncos’ scheme and coaching did not extract something better from Flacco than the Ravens’ guidance and philosophy did.

Worse, just six of his total plays — passes, times sacked and rushing attempts — ended in touchdowns. That’s a rate of one touchdown every 50 opportunities. Of the 31 quarterbacks with at least 150 total plays, Flacco’s touchdown rate ranks dead last.

His playing style is wrong for where the Broncos stand. Their scheme demands the ability to roll out and not remain static in the pocket. Their pass-protection issues make escapability a necessity — not just for the sake of helping out the offensive line, but for the survival of the quarterback himself.

Perhaps they would cite the restructured contract Flacco and the Broncos worked out prior to the regular season — the one that converted $17 million of his 2019 contract into a signing bonus, thus putting the Broncos on the hook for $3.4 million of guaranteed salary in each of the 2020-23 seasons.

But that isn’t the anvil that you might think.

When the Broncos converted most of his 2019 salary into a signing bonus, they added two voidable years on the contract in 2022 and 2023. The voidable years allowed them to spread the part of the contract that was converted to a signing bonus over five seasons, rather than the three that previously existed on his deal.

This gave the Broncos $13.6 million more in salary-cap space for this season, giving them room for in-season re-signings. They’ve already used some of the space to give fullback Andy Janovich a three-year contract. It is possible that other re-signings could be in the cards. Safety Justin Simmons and center Connor McGovern are the prime candidates; their contracts expire after this season.

Whether the Broncos re-sign anyone or not, they can take the savings and carry them over to next year’s salary cap. The Broncos could have kept Flacco’s contract as is, and had the entire charge hit on this year’s cap.

But they can simply take their cap space — which currently stands at $15,665,431, according to the latest NFLPA salary-cap report — and roll it over to next year. So they could have paid Flacco $13.4 million more this year and had no dead money after cutting him next spring. By restructuring his deal, they can cut him in March, and have the same $13.4 million accelerate onto next year’s salary cap — but do so with up to $15,665,431 of cap space carried over.

In other words, the accounting, in the end, is exactly the same.

The phrase “dead money” evokes shudders. It’s a good title for a slasher flick set in an NFL front office (or possibly a bank).

But it shouldn’t scare you in regard to Flacco’s contract.

Flacco’s salary-cap figure for 2020 is $20.25 million, according to OvertheCap.com.

(Cue scream of fright)

But just $3.4 million of that is guaranteed. The Broncos owe nothing on the rest of it if they cut him — and would save $10,050,000 in salary-cap space if they move on from him. They could trade for Ryan Fitzpatrick — a true bridge quarterback and mentor for a younger quarterback, either on the roster now, arriving via the draft or both — and save $4.55 million under the cap.

And by the way, Fitzpatrick, with the hapless Miami Dolphins, accounts for one touchdown every 27.3 plays. That’s not great; he’s 24th in touchdown rate. But that means he produces a score nearly twice as often as Flacco, and has done so with a worse supporting cast than Flacco had this year.

There could be myriad possibilities on the market better than Fitzpatrick, too. Pricier, yes, but better. Teddy Bridgewater. Jameis Winston. Andy Dalton. Even the pie-in-the-sky notion of Tom Brady.

But this gives the Broncos a chance to go young and go smart.

Flacco’s contract shouldn’t be an excuse. The Broncos can cleanly move on from him — and they should.