Joe Flacco signed a one-year deal with the Jets last week, knowing full well that he was joining the team to be the backup to Sam Darnold.

But for the 35-year-old Super Bowl-winning quarterback, his deal with the Jets is a chance to get back to playing the game he loves.

Flacco had neck surgery in April, after playing eight games of what turned out to be his only season with the Denver Broncos. Now, he's anxiously awaiting to do whatever he can for Gang Green, though he knows his recovery still has a quite some time to go.

"I can't speak to exactly when I'm going to be ready, but it will not be Day One," Flacco said as a guest on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "Obviously, we'll get with the doctors and I have another checkup come August, so we'll see where that goes.

"I was working out all before I got (the surgery), and then after I got it I kind of eased back into things and I've been throwing, I've been working out. Now that I've signed I can get in on the virtual meetings and start to get my mind going again, which is something that I've definitely been missing over the last couple of months."

After 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and another one season in Denver, Flacco, for the first time in his career, will not go into the start of the season as a starting quarterback.

Instead, the former Super Bowl champion is ready to do whatever is needed of him to help the Jets, whether that's simply being a mentor to Darnold, or performing well on the field if called upon.

"I want to first and foremost help the team as much as possible, but also be a guy that Sam can lean on, that he can learn from," Flacco said. "I would say those are the two most important things, help out the guys on the team and help out Sam to do all they can.

"For me, personally, I want to play football. I've had some things happen, got injured, had to have surgery, and I've got to find my way back into the league and I want to play for years to come. I think these guys have given me a great opportunity and hope I can make the most of whatever my situation is and whatever my role ends up being."

Throughout his time in the NFL, Flacco has played in a number of different offenses, as Cam Cameron, Jim Caldwell, Gary Kubiak, Marc Trestman, and Marty Mornhinweg all served as Ravens OC during Flacco's tenure.

After one season with Rich Scangarello in Denver, Flacco will now need to learn another offense under Adam Gase and OC Dowell Loggains, but he's looking forward to the challenge.

"It will be interesting to see. I haven't been around this offense before," Flacco said. "Maybe there are a couple of different things that are similar to what I've been around, but overall I have not been around this offense, and it's hard to even speak on because I really don't know much about it … I really know nothing at this point.

"I think it will really just be a lot of fun. Listen, when you're a football player and you like playing football and all of those things, I think it's just a good opportunity to learn more and grow and become a better quarterback. So, I think I'm going to enjoy all of that."

Video: Jones and Darnold: What are the odds on passing TDs?

Popular in the Community