November 18, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh (right) and quarterback Joe Flacco (5) react while leaving the field after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. The Baltimore Ravens won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Ravens HC Avoids Joe Flacco Reunion Hype

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Baltimore Ravens are commemorating their brief but colorful history on Sunday, with their home opener serving as a testament to the start of their 30th season as the Ravens in Baltimore.

Numerous festivities are planned for this upcoming weekend, including a celebration of the 1975 Baltimore Colts, former Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome getting honored as the Legend of the Game and a halftime show featuring Ravens legends, even though they may be facing off against one of those featured faces in their Week Two matchup.

Joe Flacco is set to take the field in Baltimore, returning to the field he manned for 11 years before the team opted to turn the page to the Lamar Jackson era. Even though Flacco's heir has gone on to lap the veteran in individual accolades, winning multiple MVPs, Flacco is still the most recent quarterback to captain the franchise to a Super Bowl.

He's playing his Baltimore return cool, as he's already been something of a story in re-capturing one last starting gig with the Cleveland Browns. He's aiming to beat his former team, as any competitor would, but he reiterated the strength of the relationships he left behind with Jackson and the fan base in preparing for Sunday's divisional showdown.

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

"I have nothing but love for the people in that facility and the people in that city," he told reporters on Wednesday. "... I was a small school guy that they took a little bit of a chance on early on in the Draft. I have so many good memories with those people and that city and that stadium. ... I love the fans there. I think they have good memories of me playing football there."

He's been taking his most recent AFC North stop day-by-day, more surprised he's somehow still hanging onto the NFL years after assuming his career was over, but one-time running-mate John Harbaugh was much more vocal in his respect for what Flacco's meant to the organization and his own career.

"He's iconic in Baltimore football history," his former head coach said. "Respect that, admire that, and I still keep in touch with him, except not this week.

“He’s iconic in Baltimore football history.” Harbs on Joe Flacco pic.twitter.com/c1OnGOKFHO
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 10, 2025

"This week, it's not about that for us as a football team. It's about us getting prepared for a good quarterback that knows how to play the game, and is capable of making plays against you, and we're gonna have to be at our very best to defend against Joe and the whole offense."

The Ravens, likely to enter Sunday as the heavy favorite, should do away with the bottom-dwelling Browns fairly easily, but they'll have something to prove outside of a win over Flacco. They, too, lost last week, and need a quick divisional win to evade last year's slow start trap.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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