The NFL has seen a handful of quarterbacks play past their 40th birthday, from recent examples like Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers to guys like Warren Moon and Johnny Unitas.
Joe Flacco hopes to join that list.
Flacco, who turns 40 on Jan. 16, wrapped up 17th season in the NFL on Sunday with a 26-23 overtime win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was his sixth start of the 2024 season and the 191st start of his career, a career in which he's won Super Bowl MVP, thrown for 45,000 yards and earned AP Comeback Player of the Year honors.
And Flacco, who will be a free agent in 2025 after signing to be the Colts' backup in 2024, still believes he has good football left in the tank. So as he jogged off the field following the Colts' season finale, he didn't pause to think if it would be the last game of his career or not.
"This doesn't feel like it's the end. I don't want it to be," Flacco said. "But sometimes those things are out of your control and I'm not one to sit and whine about things and be overly emotional about things anyway. Listen, this game has been unbelievable to me. I've been playing it since I've been 12 or 13 years old, and I'll be 40 in a couple weeks.
"I want to play. I want to be one of those 40-year-olds that has played in the NFL, and I want to play meaningful football games. I think I can help some people out and hopefully I get the chance to do that."
Flacco in 2024 appeared in eight games (six starts) and completed 65.3 percent of his passes – which tied a career high – for 1,761 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. For someone who spent the vast majority of his career as a starter, Flacco acknowledged the back-and-forth of being the Colts' backup quarterback this year was a challenge.
But starting the last two weeks – with Anthony Richardson sidelined due to back spasms – evoked the kind of joy Flacco has been chasing, and will continue to chase, after he celebrates his 40th birthday later this month.
"It's not the easiest position, and not as easy as you would think to be a backup because you do kind of forget how awesome it is to be out on the field in this league," Flacco said. "You have to kind of find different ways to keep yourself as confident as you need to be in case you need to go out there. But every time that I go out there and take that field, you're instantly reminded. I wish I was in a position to be instantly reminded week in and week out, but yeah, the last two weeks – like I said, instant reminder of how special it is to play in this league and how much I enjoy doing it."
