Joe Flacco is now old enough to tell the “old guy” jokes around an NFL facility.
The veteran quarterback, who’s gone from unsigned free agent to start the 2023 season to Cleveland Browns starter, poked fun at his age in a unique way with reporters on Wednesday morning.
Joe Flacco Jokes About Age Gap Between He and New Teammates
Flacco, 38, told reporters that one decision in his high school years could’ve made him the father of one or more current teammates of his.
“If I messed up in high school, I could be these guys’ dads,” Flacco joked with reporters ahead of the Browns’ season finale. “There is something that — they probably do look at me a little bit differently just because of that.”
Flacco, though, tries to be himself despite earning the title of “senior citizen” among the active roster.
“I’m just being myself and trying to help them win games,” Flacco said. “I think that when you’re yourself, that’s the best chance you have to impact people. So hopefully I’ve had something.”
Yet, the “I could be these guys’ dads” statement drew quite the reactions on the national side.
#Browns QB Joe Flacco was asked if he can see the way his age and experience has affected the locker room.
"If I messed up in high school, I could be some of these kids dads."
🫣😳🧐
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 3, 2024
Others believed that Flacco’s humor was “top-tier.”
Joe Flacco's sense of humor is top-tier 😂 pic.twitter.com/VJE7X1oy5f
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 3, 2024
How Many Teammates Are Younger Than Flacco?
The Browns have 17 players under the age of 25. Furthermore, Cleveland only has 10 players who are in their 30s. And the oldest? Flacco himself.
That makes Flacco older than even All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett, who’s 28. The QB is even older than Kareem Hunt, who is the same age as Garrett and has played for multiple NFL teams like Flacco.
So who would’ve held the title of oldest Cleveland Brown if it weren’t for signing Flacco? Three players would’ve shared that title.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Nine-year veteran-long snapper Charley Hughlett is 33 and has been in the league for nine seasons. Placekicker Dustin Hopkins has Hughlett beaten by one NFL year but is also the same age. The third 33-year-old Browns player is a non-specialist — wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who is in his 10th season in the league.
Flacco became the oldest in the room the moment the Browns signed him on December 14, 2023.
Did Flacco Give Playoff Advice to the Younger Browns?
Flacco has been a unique comeback story for the league in taking the Browns back to the playoffs.
According to BETMGM, Flacco has +105 odds to earn the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award. The current leader is Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who sits at -140 odds in his comeback from a horrific cardiovascular episode in Week 17 of the 2022 season.
Still, Flacco went from waiting until the final month of the league to finally get his call to join an NFL franchise to leading a postseason run. And with his extensive playoff experience, is he in this mode of giving the players much younger than him advice?
“It’s tough,” Flacco began when answering if he’s advised younger teammates during this time of year. “I think everybody always wants to kind of say ‘Oh, it’s playoff atmosphere. It’s going to be this, or it’s going to be that.’ I will say, typically at the beginning of games, you feel that energy a little bit. But the game settles in.”
“I’ve always found it best to go about your business like you always would and let the game kind of come to you,” Flacco continued. “Don’t try to do too much. Just play within yourself.”
As he’s two years shy from his 40th birthday, Flacco gets a new opportunity to go on a playoff run for the first time since the 2018 season with the Ravens — which saw him start in only nine games that season. But this time, he’s taking a team with the average age of 26 into the playoffs.
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