The Baltimore Ravens have reached a tentative trade agreement with the Denver Broncos to send former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco to Denver, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The Ravens are to receive a mid-round pick in the NFL draft for Flacco, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the trade cannot become official for another month and the teams had no immediate comment. The pending trade agreement was first reported by ESPN.
Flacco lost his starting job in Baltimore this past season to rookie Lamar Jackson and the Ravens said they would consider trade offers for him this offseason. He has three years and $63 million remaining on his contract. He is to be paid $18.5 million next season, $20.25 million in 2020 and $24.25 million in 2021.
The trade becomes the latest attempt by John Elway, the Broncos’ chief front office football executive and former Hall of Fame quarterback, to solve the team’s quarterback dilemma. The Broncos signed Case Keenum as a free agent last offseason but apparently are prepared to move on from him as the starter and hand the job to Flacco.
Flacco, 34, played in nine games for the Ravens this past season and threw for 2,465 yards and 12 touchdowns with six interceptions. He spent 11 seasons with the Ravens and was the MVP of their Super Bowl triumph over the San Francisco 49ers to conclude the 2012 season.
NFL trades can become official when the new league year begins March 13. The free agent market opens the same day.
