Not too many franchises have made a quarterback transition work like the Ravens in 2018.
For the first half of the season, Baltimore started veteran Joe Flacco and deployed first-round rookie Lamar Jackson as a gadget player. When it became apparent Flacco's best years were behind him, the Ravens took the training wheels off the 2016 Heisman winner—and a future Hall of Famer was born.
The players went their separate ways, and each found some sort of peace in the long run. Jackson is the owner of two NFL MVP awards, Flacco, after weathering several lean years, became an unlikely cult hero in Cleveland after leading the Browns to the playoffs in 2023.
On Wednesday, Jackson spoke glowingly toward Flacco ahead of Baltimore's meeting with the Browns.
"Just him being in the meeting room—how cool he was with the things he'd say, how funny he was," Jackson recalled to reporters of his time together with Flacco. "I don't know if people know, but (Flacco's) funny ... He used to have me rollling as a rookie. I'd be like, 'Man, this man just say stuff so nonchalant.'"
Jackson and Flacco have played each other before—the Ravens won a 24–9 decision over the Jets in both teams' 2022 opener, in which Flacco attempted an astounding 59 passes—but Sunday's meeting in Maryland will have a different flavor.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lamar Jackson Offers Thoughts on Joe Flacco Ahead of Browns-Ravens Showdown.