A Near Flacco Homecoming?

Plus Thoughts on Lindy, Tucker and Trading Back

Last week we learned through Mike Preston, columnist for The Sun, that the Ravens reached out to Joe Flacco’s agent, Joe Linta, to see if there might be interest in bringing Flacco back for an encore performance with the team that drafted him in 2008. In Joe’s words:

“[The Ravens] did kind of reach out to [my agent] Joe gauging my interest for something like that to happen. My agent called me up and was like, ‘What do you want me to tell them?’

“I’m like, ‘Well, listen, I’m interested. I don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s not like choice No. 1, I don’t know what’s going to happen here with me if I’m going to get an opportunity to do something a little bit more, but I wasn’t against it.’ I think I would’ve been excited about it in a little bit of a way.”

I’m surprised that the Ravens reached out to Linta at all. I always theorized that a backup should be able to adequately carry out a game plan installed for the starter in the event of an injury – short or long-term. Why should the other 10 guys be forced to adapt to the contrasting style of a backup quarterback? And if you think about it, Lamar Jackson’s backups have had similar skillsets – Robert Griffin, III, Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson. Flacco’s game hardly resembles that of any of these backups and more importantly, that of Lamar.

But when the Ravens hired Cooper Rush as Lamar’s backup, that theory was shot down in flames. Rush’s style is hardly comparable to Jackson’s.

The Ravens have lauded Rush, expressed their long-time appreciation of his talents publicly and are obviously open to adapting the offense to the former Cowboy’s skillset if needed. But Rush and Lamar are polar opposites.

Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino is remembered as the quintessential pocket passer. And thankfully, Dan possessed a lightning-fast release. That said, his mobility was akin to a snail in quicksand. During his career, Marino had 301 rushing attempts producing 87 yards, averaging 0.3 YPC. Unfortunately, Rush isn’t much better. During his 7-year career, Cooper has toted the rock 58 times for 24 yards, averaging 0.4 YPC.

If called upon by John Harbaugh, there’s little chance of a QB rush dialed up by Todd Monken, pun intended.

The Bar for Lindy

When the Philadelphia Eagles unnecessarily offered Saquon Barkley a lucrative extension, it did the Ravens no favors in their attempts to extend Derrick Henry. That said, Eagles GM Howie Roseman may have done the Ravens a favor when they extended their Pro-Bowl center Cam Jurgens.

This APY fits give or take $2M. Hopefully it gets both sides to where they need to be because the $25M 5th-year option for Linderbaum is probably not an enticing one. As I’ve opined in previous articles, don’t expect the Ravens to extend that option to Lindy. The deadline for 5th-year options is next Thursday, May 1.

Trading Back

The Ravens have 11 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, tied for the most with the San Francisco 49ers. And if you listen to most draftniks, this draft isn’t loaded with blue chip prospects. That said, most believe that there will be an abundance of quality talent in Rounds 3 and 4. So, some expect the Ravens to trade back if a top 20 pick on their draft board isn’t available with their pick at No. 27. I’m not buying it.

The Ravens have a deep roster as it is. Trading back adds more picks and even GM Eric DeCosta thinks that 11 rookies making the team will be a challenge.

“It’s going to be hard for 11 players to make the team out of the gates this year. I mean, if they do, it would be incredible. History tells us that probably not all 11 picks are going to make the initial 53-man roster, which is a good problem to have, it means we’re a talented team.”

I can see this going one of two ways as it relates to trading draft capital. They COULD move back but only as part of a strategy to collect picks to move up and get a player they like in the middle rounds. Or they could trade 2025 picks for a better pick in 2026. By the end of Day 3, I don’t expect the Ravens to draft more than 10 players.

The Pink Elephant

Things are very quiet on the Justin Tucker front. On the surface, it seems as if the Ravens are going to let the league run lead on the investigation into the allegations made against the Ravens 8-time All Pro kicker. But the NFL has never been known to put such investigations on the fast track and if the Ravens were hoping that the league’s efforts would conclude before the draft, well say hello to disappointment. My guess is that this process will continue through the summer.

Be that as it may, it would be shocking if the Ravens don’t line up a kicker to bring into camp no later than Round 8, aka the undrafted free agent method. And that’s exactly how they landed on Tucker.

If DeCosta spends draft capital on a kicker, that is a strong indication that the team is prepared to cut ties with Tucker. Should they bring in a UDFA kicker, it may indicate that Tucker is still a possibility to return.

It’s a very difficult call for the Ravens, particularly if the allegations lack merit. A once sure-fire Hall of Famer and Ring of Honor player just might never be adorned with either of these prestigious awards.

Things can and do change quickly in our world, don’t they?

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/04/23/tltakes/flacco-homecoming/