Browns fans can officially breathe a sigh of relief: Joe Flacco has signed a contract to remain with the team for the rest of the season.
Flacco has started each of Cleveland's last two games after being elevated from the team's practice squad. Kevin Stefanski had announced after the Browns beat the Jaguars that Flacco would start for the rest of the season, but the team had to get him onto the active roster to ensure that could happen.
As long as Flacco remained on the practice squad, another team could have tried to poach him. Granted, this would require a team to give Flacco a Godfather offer to join them and for him to agree to go to them, so it was always unlikely that Flacco would land elsewhere.
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Still, eliminating the minuscule chance that could happen has to make Browns fans feel a bit less anxious than before.
Now, Flacco can officially settle in as Cleveland's top quarterback and try to guide the Browns on a playoff run in the crowded AFC. The 38-year-old has one Super Bowl win to his name with the Ravens in 2013, so the Browns faithful will be hoping he can get on a hot streak similar to the one he rode to a ring.
And Flacco will be hoping to get there as well. Not just for the glory of earning a second win, but also fro the financial benefits that would come with it.
Here's what to know about Flacco's new deal with the Browns and the big-time incentives within it.
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Joe Flacco contract details
Flacco signed a one-year contract with the Browns. The QB's base salary will be $370,800, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, but the deal includes incentives that could be worth $4.05 million, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Schefter reports that Flacco will have incentives tied to wins for the remainder of the 2023 regular season and 2024 postseason. Notably, Flacco can make $2 million if he leads his team to a Super Bowl victory.
Below is a look at the reported incentives tied to his contract:
| Game | Winning incentive |
| Regular-season wins | $75,000 per game |
| Wild-card round | $250,000 |
| Divisional round | $500,000 |
| AFC championship | $1 million |
| Super Bowl | $2 million |
Even if Flacco is signed for the veteran minimum for the rest of the season, this will give him a chance to become an adequately compensated backup quarterback while maintaining the flexibility to sign another deal next offseason.
As such, this seems like a mutually beneficial agreement — even if Flacco is more concerned with fit than he is with money at this point in his career.
Joe Flacco has no idea how much money he’s playing for now that he’s signed a one-year deal. Doesn’t know how much money he’s made on the practice squad either.
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) December 14, 2023
Just happy to have the opportunity to be in Cleveland.#Browns pic.twitter.com/Bm5JGFkM0p
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Joe Flacco career earnings
It makes sense that Flacco wouldn't be too worried about the total value of his contract at this point. He has already made more than $174.6 million during his career thanks to a lucrative extension he inked with the Ravens after winning a Super Bowl. That makes him the 16th-highest earner in NFL history, per Spotrac.com.
Flacco has also played 16 NFL seasons, and that longevity has helped him to bolster his earnings. And given that he has been solid for the Browns in two games to date, it wouldn't be surprising to see him land another backup-level deal during the 2024 offseason.
So, soon enough, Flacco's career NFL earnings could creep over the $180 million mark.
