Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) walks off the field after a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Sept. 7, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Analyst Says There Still Could Be Bad Blood Between Joe Flacco and Baltimore Ravens

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Jack O'Rourke | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 4:45 PM ET

If you were told a few years ago that Joe Flacco would attend the Baltimore Ravens’ 30th anniversary celebration in 2025, you’d probably think it checked out.

The M&T Bank Stadium crowd would roar as the Super Bowl–winning QB ran out of the tunnel donning a purple No. 5 jersey and shorts, alongside the likes of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

Well, not quite.

Flacco will return to M&T Bank Stadium for the 30th-year celebration for the first time since his Ravens tenure; only this time, it’ll be in a Cleveland Browns jersey and shoulder pads. Whileheadlines are already heating up ahead of this Week 1 showdown, Flacco won't need any fuel for his fire. Flacco was unceremoniously exiled from Baltimore when Lamar Jackson won the starting job, and not everyone is convinced that decision hasn’t lingered with him.

Jack Settleman, founder of Snapback Sports, joined The BIGPLAY Cleveland Show to discuss the end of Flacco’s time in Baltimore.

“I think the story that should be covered more is there was a very weird Lamar–Joe relationship,” Settleman said. “It didn’t get to the extent where he was like, ‘I don’t want to help this guy,’ where we’ve seen other pros do that. But Joe wanted his job, he’s a competitive guy.”

Settleman stressed that it was by no means a “Favre–Rodgers” situation, but Flacco believed he still had good football left in him.

There could still be some bad blood between Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens.

"There was a very weird Lamar-Joe relationship... Joe wanted his job. He's a competitive guy."

-@jacksettleman

presented by @drinkgaragebeer https://t.co/B2SOPlUC3R pic.twitter.com/yl5ec5vBbp
— BIGPLAY Cleveland Show (@BIGPLAYCLEshow) September 10, 2025

Was Flacco right to feel that way? When he was benched after nine starts in 2018, he had a 2:1 TD:INT ratio and both his QBR and passer rating were higher than in each of the previous three seasons. He struggled in limited action for the Broncos in 2019 before spending three years as a backup with the New York Jets. But when injuries to Deshaun Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson forced the Browns to look externally during the 2023 playoff push.

Flacco returned to the NFL throwing 13 touchdowns and leading Cleveland to its second postseason appearance under Kevin Stefanski. Flacco made his way back to Cleveland in 2025 after a one-year hiatus splitting snaps with Anthony Richardson for the Colts.

Since leaving Baltimore, Flacco has faced the Ravens just once, but never in his old home stadium. That matchup came at MetLife Stadium, where Lamar Jackson got the better of his former mentor in a 24–9 win. Flacco went 37-for-59 for 309 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss.

Nothing would be sweeter for Flacco, likely in his final season as a starting quarterback, than beating his understudy in his old office.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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