Report: Broncos, Ravens agree in principle to send Joe Flacco to Denver
Feb 13, 2019, 9:24 AM | Updated: 2:53 pm
After just one year with Case Keenum under center, the Denver Broncos are poised to go another direction, reportedly trading for Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Joe Flacco on Wednesday.
First reported by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Ravens and Broncos agreed to a deal in principle to send Flacco to Denver, and Baltimore will likely receive a mid-round pick in return.
“When it gets done, I would expect it to be for a mid-round pick. We’ll see what the pick turns out to be. But that’s what I would expect it to be,” said Schefter, who joined “Pritchard and Cecil” just after breaking the news.
Neither team can discuss the deal, Schefter said, which will officially be consummated after the start of the new league year on March 13.
The move ends likely ends Keenum’s time as the Broncos starting quarterback after a forgettable 2018 campaign.
Per The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala, Denver general manager John Elway spoke with Keenum on Wednesday morning.
It’s uncertain what the Broncos may do in terms of Keenum, as the team could keep him as a backup, trade him, or release him. The latter two options, however, would come with a $10 million dead cap hit for Denver.
Flacco has three years remaining on his current deal, which the Broncos will inherit, with him earning $18.5 million in 2019, $20.25 million in 2020, and $24.25 million in 2021, per Spotrac.com.
In 2018, Flacco and Keenum compared similarly in terms of statistics, with Flacco having a slight edge in terms of passing yards (273.9 to 243.1 per game), touchdowns (1.3 to 1.1 per game), and interceptions (0.7 to 0.9 per game).
Similarly, Flacco leads in most passing categories, per game, over Keenum during each player’s respective careers, though the veteran quarterback holds a significant lead in terms of winning percentage (.589 to .481).
This is a developing story. Tune in to 104.3 The Fan or check back to 1043TheFan.com for updates as they become available.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
