You might think this is crazy to hear it now, but once upon a time, there were some sparse fantasies about what it might look like to see Joe Flacco in a Philadelphia Eagles jersey. You must understand the times and some of the backstory for that to make sense.

He was a product of Voorhees Township, New Jersey. He finished his NCAA career with the Delaware Blue Hens (2005-07) following a stint with the Pittsburgh Panthers (2003-04). Oh, and by the way, he had helped lead the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII win.

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He also won MVP honors in the game. There never seemed to be any genuine interest expressed by the Eagles organization. Plus, Baltimore hung onto him for a while.

Fans are fans for a reason, though. It’s easy to see why some Philadelphia fans (not all of them) might have expressed interest, but the Eagles drafted Carson Wentz. They eventually won a Super Bowl (LII), and we strangely never discussed Joe Flacco as an Eagle ever again.

That is, until he joined the Eagles for a brief spell in 2021.

Joe Flacco beats out Kenny Pickett for the Cleveland Browns‘ starting QB job

Flacco wasn’t in Philadelphia long. He was signed on March 25, 2021. He was traded to the New York Jets on October 25 that same year. The Eagles played musical chairs with their backup QBs for a while, but in 2024, they added a local native.

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Kenny Pickett entered the NFL as a former Heisman Trophy finalist. He had enjoyed a successful run at the same Pitt program Flacco once played for. As a professional, he was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers (2022), but they gave up early. In March 2024, he was dealt after requesting a trade when Pittsburgh added veteran Russell Wilson as their starter.

Flacco started one game in Philadelphia, and he won it. That was a Week 17, 41-7 affair vs. the Dallas Cowboys. He earned a Super Bowl ring for his troubles as part of the 2024 Eagles roster.

He was eventually traded to the Cleveland Browns for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and draft compensation. He found himself in competition with Joe Flacco for the Browns’ starting QB position. Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders were also in the mix.

It has been announced that Flacco has been named Cleveland’s starting quarterback. That leaves Pickett to make sense of another career detour. The story isn’t over. He may be traded at some point.

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For now, however, his journey is at a crossroads. One must ask if he is beginning to run short on chances. Then again, what are the chances of his reunion with Kellen Moore as part of the New Orleans Saints?

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Kenny Pickett loses the Browns QB competition to Joe Flacco