Joe Flacco 'definitely grateful' to have spot with Colts, 'little bit' surprised he's not back with Browns

Joe Flacco's NFL journey took a fairly surprising couple of turns in the last six months.

First, he was on a flight to Cleveland, where he'd go from couch-dwelling veteran to the white-hot leader of a Browns team that reached the playoffs. Then, he was back on the couch, this time in an offseason brought about by a blowout loss to Houston on Super Wild Card Weekend.

Now, he's in Indianapolis, where he'll back up second-year passer Anthony Richardson. Despite winning Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year, this was the best opportunity he could draw.

It still beats sitting on the couch.

"It was obviously a little bit different than last offseason, when I didn't get any calls at all," Flacco, 39, explained of his free agency which led to his signing with the Colts being officially announced Friday. "But even this offseason, I wasn't really sure how it was going to go. It wasn't like I played a ton of games last year or anything like that, but definitely grateful for Indy to reach out and have this as an opportunity."

Above all, Flacco wanted another chance to play football. He'd rediscovered his love for the game during his time with the Browns while also proving he can still sling it.

After being forced to ride with Gardner Minshew -- who moved on to the Raiders on a two-year, $25 million deal -- for most of 2023, the Colts understood the importance of a reliable backup. And they liked what they saw in Flacco.

Flacco's decision to sign with Indianapolis included the general concession he wouldn't have a chance to compete for a starting job in 2024. But as he found in 2023, that doesn't mean he won't see the field at some point.

Ideally, Indianapolis never needs Flacco to take the field unless it's in garbage time of a