The media made it clear Joe Flacco can't win either way

Stemming back to his time with Baltimore shortly after Lamar Jackson was drafted, there have been constant media headlines surrounding Joe Flacco and his ability and/or desire to be a mentor to a younger quarterback. In a season where Flacco is teammates with two rookie quarterbacks, it's no surprise the topic was brought up again after OTAs got underway.

Following an OTA session this week, Flacco was very sincere when talking about this narrative, and he elaborated on how he cannot win because a headline will be written regardless of what he says.

No matter how they answer it, it kinda makes the guy that's answering it look badJoe Flacco

The media made it clear Joe Flacco can't win either way

As a guy who spent time with his family away from football and returned when an opportunity arose, Flacco chose to play football at his age because he thinks he can contribute on the field. He discussed the lose-lose situation when it comes to his response because of how the media will frame it.

"It's a good question to bait somebody into answering, and no matter how they answer it, it kinda makes the guy that's answering it look bad. If I say I don't want to be a mentor, I look bad. If I say I do want to be a mentor, then I look like an idiot that doesn't care about being good at playing football. So it's one of those questions that no matter what I say, you guys can write what you want to write about it... I tend to try to be honest, and I've said, I'm not a mentor, I play football."

Flacco noted there have been plenty of learning experiences already, and he hopes the young guys have listened to what he's said, but he said it isn't his job to make sure they listen to him. His job is to play football, and he wants to put all his focus there.

"It's just not the main focus. I see myself as a guy that can play in this league. So if you're main focus was just like 'hey bud I'm gonna get you ready,' you're just not taking care of business. The best way to be a mentor, honestly, is like show people how you go to work. And hope that they pick up on that stuff, but not necessarily force them to pick up on the things that you do."

Flacco is completely spot on when it comes to this subject, regardless of what the public might think. The reality is he's 40 years old with 191 career starts over 17 NFL seasons. If he wanted to provide leadership and guidance to the youth, he could just be with his five kids at home. As long as he isn't going out of his way to harm the young guys' development, his presence and ability to be a resource should be plenty for Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, while Flacco can focus on playing his best football possible.