Cleveland Browns Will Reward Joe Flacco With $75k Bonus For Saving Their Season
The Cleveland Browns found a creative way to ensure that Joe Flacco received a significant contract bonus.
To the surprise of everyone, Cleveland locked up a playoff spot last week against the New York Jets. A team that couldn’t find a consistent quarterback all year found one in Flacco, who has gone 4-1 in five games after starting the year unsigned by any franchise.
Joe Flacco (with ball) saved Cleveland's season from near disster. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
He’s looked similar to the same quarterback who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2012. Cleveland could have lost its grip on a postseason spot weeks ago. Instead, Flacco reincarnated has guided the Browns to their first playoff trip since 2020.
Since the Browns have already locked up a spot (something they don’t do very often), they’ve decided to rest a bunch of starters for their finale against the Cincinnati Bengals - their quarterback included. While that makes sense from a roster standpoint, it spells bad news for the quarterback and his contract.
Flacco Can Still Get His Payday
Cleveland guaranteed Flacco a $75,000 bonus for every game he plays at least 50 percent of, and wins. However, it's kind of hard to do either of those things from the sidelines. As such, Flacco will miss out on the payday.
At least, that’s what it seems like at first glance.
Thanks to a little finessing by the Cleveland front office, the quarterback will still get that massive incentive. Field Yates reported that the Browns restructured that deal so that he earns it simply by making the 53-man roster on Sunday.
That’s how you reward a player. Sure, Flacco likely has millions of dollars from his long tenure in the NFL. But Cleveland decided to honor his hard work - and for saving its season - by letting him get his payday.
As a thank you, Flacco could earn his team some playoff wins. I’m sure the Browns’ front office and fans alike would appreciate that.