To get top-five money, Flacco may have to win Super Bowl in 2012

Reuters

Earlier this week, agent Joe Linta suggested that quarterback Joe Flacco should be paid among the top five quarterbacks in the game.  A source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that the more accurate range for Flacco is the top 10.  (Some would say even that’s too high.)

So how would Flacco go about upgrading?  As explained during Thursday’s edition of PFT Live, Flacco will have to play out the final year of his contract (like Drew Brees did in New Orleans), and generate the kind of performance that vaults him to that level.

In other words, Flacco probably needs to win the Super Bowl, and perhaps the Super Bowl MVP trophy.  That would give him the leverage he needs to be paid like a top-five quarterback.  Something less than that could get him the franchise tag, which is calculated by averaging the cap numbers of the five highest-paid quarterbacks.

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56 responses to “To get top-five money, Flacco may have to win Super Bowl in 2012

  1. Top 5 or top 10, I don’t care. Just get him under contract for a long, long time. As long as he is there it will keep the ravens out of the Superbowl and I’m a fan of that.

  2. you can’t get top 5 money when your not a top 5 QB its simple and Joe flacco isn’t a top 5 QB might just make a top 10 list and i doubt he could take a team to the Superbowl tbh

  3. @tkebean, please explain how he kept the Ravens out of the superbowl, we’re dieing to hear some FACTS.

    If I remember correctly Evans dropped a pass in the endzone and cundiff well we all know how that went. Joe is the reason why they were in a position to go to the superbowl.

  4. He’s a decent quarterback, mid tier maybe, but probably not as good as the Ravens want him to be. There are better quarterbacks on worse teams that’ll never get the credit Flacco does because they don’t have a top 5 defense with a top 5 running back.

  5. “Top-five money” is nothing more than a starting point for negotiations. Joe’s agent is one of his biggest fans, but he’s realistic. He’s gonna be a Raven for a long time IMO.

  6. He could win a SB and still shouldn’t get top 5 money.

    Does he really think he deserves to get paid better than Rodgers, Brees, Brady and both Mannings (if Peyton’s healthy?)

    Really? Which of those is he better then, even if he wins the SB next year? I’d love to know. Not to mention guys like Vick, Schaub, Ryan, even Newton and a couple others that you could argue are as good as–if not better than–he is right now.

  7. I’m not sure if he’s a Top 5 guy or not. I like him as a player, but don’t love his results overall.
    I do know this. He did everything a QB should do to get his team to the Bowl. It wasn’t him that dropped the game winning TD or missed the easy game tying FG. Short of his teammates, he already got them there!

  8. Top 5 money “usually” is reserved for top 5 talent. But then again if you’ve waited so long for a franchise qb like the ravens (or in my case the redskins) you have to keep your guy.

  9. Joe Flacco is the most stable QB the Ravens have ever had in their history. It’s absolutely hilarious how these arm chair coaches on line keep downing him. Does he have his faults? Yes. Absolutely. He definitely is not a top 5 QB that’s just agent talk. But he is a QB this team can win a Super Bowl with. He is an above average solid QB. Look around the league at how many teams have struggled or did struggle for years to find a solid QB:

    Chicago before Cutler.
    Cleveland ever since the Bernie Kosar days
    The Jets
    Buffalo since Jim Kelly
    49ers since Steve Young (all though the QB play was steady if unspectacular before this)
    Redskins for generations
    Before Matt Stafford the Lions had virtually 0 success at the QB position

    The point I’m making is it is hard for an organization to find a solid QB. Sometimes it may take a whole generation or longer (Lions). Appreciate what you’ve got.

  10. purpleattack says:Feb 17, 2012 8:43 AM

    If I remember correctly Evans dropped a pass in the endzone and cundiff well we all know how that went. Joe is the reason why they were in a position to go to the superbowl.

    ________________

    Flacco plays defense and was a top 5 rusher in the NFL this year? Never noticed…

  11. Put Flacco on a bad team and that team is still bad… He doesnt make anyone better, which in my mind is what seperates the top QB’s from the average QB’s. He is a game manager, not a difference maker. I am not saying he cant have some good games here or there but for the most part in seeing him play on a weekly basis, a game manager is what he is. The Ravens will overpay him of course beccause he is thier franchise QB, but any discussion of Flacco being elite or a top QB in the NFL is laughable as far as his talent goes.

  12. The whole “top 5” thing is nothing but a negotiation ploy. If Linta says “pay Joe like a top 16 guy,” he sets the upper limit. The problem is the sorry Bills set the bottom boundary with Fitzpatrick.

    The Ravens have all of the leverage here: Flacco still has a year left, and the tag option exists next year. Plus, Lewis and Reed will likely be off the books next year. If Joe’s demands get exorbitant, pay or tag Rice and Grubbs, resume picking on William Gay and Ike T swaggin’, and host another playoff game.

  13. It doesn’t matter what Flacco deserves. It matters what the Ravens could replace him with in the next few years while the defense is still elite. No one. They have to pay him or they have no chance to win a Super Bowl in the next couple years. Flacco isn’t a top 5 QB but he’s a better bet than any rookie.

  14. Brady, Brees, Rodgers, Roethliesberger, Eli, Romo, Rivers, Stafford, Vick, Peyton (healthy). Flacco is like Ringo Starr. He keeps the pace, but the Ravens aren’t good BECAUSE of him.

  15. Wouldn’t he also have to BE a top five quarterback?

    He’ll get paid well, but if the Ravens pay him that well I’d be surprised.

    He has won a few games for them, but more than anything, the Ravens proved that they could win with him going 1-4.

    That means he not as indispensable as top 5 money would dictate.

    But trust me, they’ll lock him down.

  16. Look how great Joe did against the Steelers with the game winning play. He really looked great.
    Unfortuantely he does that about 10% of the time. No top 5 for you.

  17. jsmith96 says:
    Feb 17, 2012 8:40 AM
    you can’t get top 5 money when your not a top 5 QB its simple

    __________________________

    Wrong….

    See Michael Vick

    See Phillip Rivers

    Keep in mind this is the start of the negotiations, that is how it works. The agent asks for too much, then the team offers not enough, the “negotiate” and find the right offer.

    I doubt the Ravens will let him play next year and risk having a team like Miami, Seattle, Washington etc… come in a overpay Joe to get a QB in house. Look at what AZ paid for Kevin freaking Kobb, you don’t think someone (maybe AZ) would pay Joe 80-90 Million?

  18. Pick up the another Cane Alum, Wayne or get the man in the mountains of West Virginia, Moss, get a complimentary piece opposite Suggs, O-Line depth, bring back basically 2011-12 team and stay healthy. Baltimore is talking Super Bowl.
    Fan of other franchises can say Flacco blows, but he is the Ravens QB , Baltimore Ravens fans know he is the franchise QB they have been looking for since 1996. If a QB’s name is not Brady, Manning, Rodgers or Brees then everyone thinks that QB is terrible.

    You look at what Ozzie has built on both sides of the ball, he has built a franchise to compete for titles every season. How many teams have 3 DPOY on their squads? Everyone wants a SuperBowl every season, at least the Ravens give their fans hope by competing and that is all you can ask for as a fan.

  19. @jsmith96 what the help do you mean you doubt he can take them? He’s been to the afc championship game twice and if it wasn’t for a PERFECTLY thrown dropped touchdown ravens would’ve been in the super bowl this year. A lot of people hate on flacco but have hardly seen him play, and if they do they fail to acknowledge what he accomplishes.

  20. So much for Top 5 money … he’ll have to settle for “absurdly overpaid for being slightly above average” money.

  21. he is not even the top QB in the AFC north and debatable whether he is even top 5 in AFC this is a idiotic claim

  22. For everyone that bashes Flacco and thinks he is such a terrible QB… Please state your favorite team and who that QB is so we know what we are up against.

    The only reason people hate on Flacco is because he doesn’t put up Fantasy numbers… I would take him over Romo, Rivers, Vick, Schaub, and Ryan. Why you ask? Because Flacco doesn’t cost his teams games and can actually finish a full season.

  23. Are we even having this conversation if Lee Evans hangs on to that pass in the end zone in the AFC Championship game?

    Flacco may not be top 5, but there are about 20-25 teams in the league that could upgrade their QB position by adding him. Outside of Brady, Brees, Roethlisberger, Rodgers, Stafford, and the Mannings, who’s better?

    Phillip Rivers? Great stats, but where are the playoff wins? Tony Romo? Same story. Michael Vick? Uh, no.

  24. If it was as simple as riding the defense and running game for Flacco then why is it that the Ravens have only one ring as a franchise and not more? They have consistently fielded strong rushing attacks and defenses but have only been a consistently good team since the Flacco era.

    He won’t get top 5 money, aka Brees, P.Manning, Brady but he deserves to be slightly better compensated than Kevin Kolb and Ryan Fitzpatrick who make more than $10M a year.

  25. I am not going to say he is a horrible qb, he isnt, i know one when I see one…reference the skins top 2 “stars” at the QB position.

    I just think that for whatever reason, Ravens fans have an absurd relationship with Joe Flacco. They will try to curbie you if your an outsider and you talk bad about him, but they themselves will tear him to shreds after every loss…the dude isnt awful, but he isnt top 10.

    When the Ravens lost to the Seahawks this year and he threw 50+ times, Ravens fans went nuts, called for Cam Camerons head, said Harbaugh lost focus of what the Ravens are…a running team, said you cant put your trust in Flacco. Couple months later he is top 5?

    I think by in large its the right move to pay him, like someone posted earlier…its not like the options out there are really any better right now…just please lets relax with this nonsense of talking about him like he is in the same realm as the top 10 in the league…he just isnt.

  26. Top 5 then are they saying he is Elite?
    You can spell elite with out flaco
    Top 5 are niot in any order
    Payton if he can play
    Eli
    Brady
    Erin and after watching his back up play this is a maybe.
    Drew

    After that it is wide open you have Vick who can not take a hit Romo who can take a hit but not pressure Big Ben who knows what is up with him Rivers the stat king.

    The Ravens are like the Giants used to be run first and smash mouth D
    They may win it all this season but it will be dispite the QB not because of.

  27. TOP FIVE??

    Flacco shouldn’t even get top 20 money. They need to focus on paying their only good offensive skill position player, Ray Rice.

  28. It amazes me that people are actually bashing Flacco for something his agent is paid to say. This is Sports Agent Talk 101…make your client out to be better than he really his, high ball a number, work with the team to find a middle ground. When you go to sell a car or house don’t you start high and work you way back down to a mutual number??

  29. For everyone that bashes Flacco and thinks he is such a terrible QB… Please state your favorite team and who that QB is so we know what we are up against.

    The only reason people hate on Flacco is because he doesn’t put up Fantasy numbers… I would take him over Romo, Rivers, Vick, Schaub, and Ryan. Why you ask? Because Flacco doesn’t cost his teams games and can actually finish a full season.

    ————————————————–

    I dont think I read anywhere where someone said that their QB was better than yours…so I am not sure how that proves anything.

    I am a Redskins fan, I in no way think Grossman or Beck is better than Flacco. So per your request, I stated who my team was.

    I cant speak for anyone else but I could care less about his fantasy #’s. I know he sucks in fantasy, so I dont draft him as my starter…thats pretty much where that ends.

    So now that I’ve answered/met all your requirements, lets get to all the FACTS that your fellow fan (purpleattack) asked for earlier:

    The Ravens lost 4 games this season (good season, no hate there)…of those 4 games here are the amount of carries Ray Rice had:

    Tenn: 13 carries

    Jax: 8 carries

    Seattle: 5 carries

    San Diego: 10 carries

    Im really hoping you see what I am getting at there…but maybe not, so in those games here is how Flacco did (since clearly they relied on him more than Rice in those games):

    Tenn: 15 for 32 1 TD 2 picks (6.2 yards per attempt) QB Rating 51.2

    Jax: 21 for 38 1 TD 1 pick (3.6 yards per attempt) QB Rating 61.0

    Seattle: 29 for 52 1 TD 1 pick (4.9 yards per attempt) QB Rating 67.4

    San Diego: 23 for 34 (not bad) 2 TD 2 pick (6.6 yards per attempt) QB Rating 81.3

    You can pretty clearly see that when they went away from the running game and put the game in Flaccos hands he didnt perform…he isnt the worst out there but he has proven he isnt anywhere near one of the best. I know your argument will be, well look at the wins…my point is that in those wins they relied on Ray Rice much more and therefore Flacco didnt have the pressure on him that he did in those losses.

    You should pay him, there isnt a better option out there at the moment, but he should be paid what hes worth.

    Once again I plead, be realistic and stop asking for facts…the internet is pretty cool, you can find some facts on it and no….the internet isnt the home page for the Baltimore Sun, there is a whole bunch more internet out there. Good luck your gonna be amazed how many facts you can find out there but be careful and one tip for ya, no matter how bad you want that dolphin screen saver, its not worth the virus brobeans.

  30. Exactly 33% of his completions went to RBs. Not good for a 57% passer!!! That doesn’t include TE check downs or WR screens. He is closer to bottom 5 than top 5!!! If the Defense takes a step back then that team doesn’t make the Playoffs. I don’t know what his agent is looking at but there are more than 20 QBs that can win on that Ravens team. Give top 5 money to a guy that transferred to Delaware cause he couldn’t beat out Tyler Palko at Pitt???? Give me a break!!!

  31. Low Joe Flacco fans just don’t get it. Recall that before Cundiff missed that 32-yard FG, it was 3rd & short and Low Joe had an opportunity to run for a 1st-down and call their last time-out, leaving at least 15 seconds on the clock and maybe two attempts to the end-zone. Instead, he held onto the ball, as usual, and got sacked. A top-five QB would’ve gotten that 1st-down!!! As I have stated before, the Ravens win in spite of their QB play. So what he’s been to the playoffs four straight years, that ain’t shiznit. Don’t believe me, ask Jim Kelly, he’s been to four straight Super Bowls. Let me remind the Low Joe Flacco fans once again, he was behind Troy Smith on the depth chart before Smith got sick. In addition to that, the Ravens led the NFL in rushing attempts that year, clearly afraid to unleash their ‘franchise’ QB…HA!

  32. Flacco gets carried by the Ravens pretty much like Eli Manning gets carried by the Giants. I mean, let’s face it — the real Super Bowl MVP is Wes Welker.

    Eli did nothing all game until the end. Once again, the Giants carried him through the game and kept the score close. Just like the first Super Bowl vs. the Patriots.

    Top 5 QBs:

    PEYTON Manning
    Tom Brady
    Ben Roethlisberger
    Aaron Rodgers
    Drew Brees

  33. jmsincla says:
    Feb 17, 2012 10:07 AM
    To get top 5 money, Flacco would need to steal Tom Brady’s identity.

    ————————————————-

    Patriots already proved they can have a good season without Brady. I’m sorry but Flacco wins period. He’s collected more wins than ANY other QB in his frist four seasons(FACT). But they say thats because he’s on a “good team”, isn’t Brady on a “good team”? Isn’t Eli on a “good team”?

    Stats are for fantasy football losers. Tell me again which one of those 5000-yd QBs won the Super Bowl this year?

  34. Patriots already proved they can have a good season without Brady. I’m sorry but Flacco wins period. He’s collected more wins than ANY other QB in his frist four seasons(FACT). But they say thats because he’s on a “good team”, isn’t Brady on a “good team”? Isn’t Eli on a “good team”?

    Stats are for fantasy football losers. Tell me again which one of those 5000-yd QBs won the Super Bowl this year?

    ————————————————–

    Patriots had the worst ranked defense in the NFL this year, Giants up until the last few games and playoffs played atrocious D and had no running game. No one said the Giants were a good team until the last couple games of the season when they started getting healthy.

    Most of the season you could turn on any sports talk show and listen to them talk about how awful the Pat’s D was…..and in actuality, u had more analysts saying the Ravens had a better shot to win it all then either of the teams u mentioned. So Flacco was on a better, more well rounded team than either Eli or Brady.

    Also, Ravens already proved they can win a superbowl with just a D and a good run game. Unless u want to tell us that Trent Dilfer was a top 5 qb too.

    If stats are for losers, why are u asking us which 5,000 yd QB won the super bowl this year…thats a stat, you must be a fantasy football loser.

  35. schlonkie2 says:
    Feb 17, 2012 11:14 AM

    You can pretty clearly see that when they went away from the running game and put the game in Flaccos hands he didnt perform…he isnt the worst out there but he has proven he isnt anywhere near one of the best. I know your argument will be, well look at the wins…my point is that in those wins they relied on Ray Rice much more and therefore Flacco didnt have the pressure on him that he did in those losses.

    Once again I plead, be realistic and stop asking for facts…the internet is pretty cool, you can find some facts on it and no….the internet isnt the home page for the Baltimore Sun, there is a whole bunch more internet out there. Good luck your gonna be amazed how many facts you can find out there but be careful and one tip for ya, no matter how bad you want that dolphin screen saver, its not worth the virus brobeans.

    __________________________

    1) Sorry your a Skins Fan
    2) Sorry you took the time to research all that info.
    3) I can’t stand the Baltimore Sun and don’t read it
    4) Never said Flacco was a top 5 QB
    5) Never said he was the best out there
    6) All I said was, I would take Flacco over those QB’s I listed.
    7) Also said, Flacco doesn’t cost his team games and plays every snap of very game

    So what exactly do you want me to be realistic about?

  36. dissed215 says:
    Feb 17, 2012 12:41 PM

    Stats are for fantasy football losers. Tell me again which one of those 5000-yd QBs won the Super Bowl this year?
    _______________________

    So you’re argument is that a 5,000 yard QB can’t win a Super Bowl because the QB who won it this year fell 67 yards short of 5,000 with key position players (Nicks, Bradshaw, among others) banged up for much of the year. Not to mention Cruz emerged later in the year. Yeah, that makes all kinds of sense.

    How could a QB ever throw for 5,000 yards in a regular season AND win a Super Bowl? That’s UNPOSSIBLE!

  37. I have no problem with Flacco getting top-32 money. He deserves it. However, asking him to actually win the Super Bowl before he is paid like an elite quarterback is really asking a lot. That is so unfair! Rodgers, er, Brees, er Manning, er other Manning, er Brady, er Roethlisberger, er I mean Cutler never won a Super Bowl either.

  38. Which of the other Top 4 NFL QBs, in their first 4 seasons, have played nearly every down of every regular season and playoff game? Compiled a 44-20 regular season against a schedule against the toughest defenses in the NFL? A 5-4 playoff record with 8 of those games on the road?

  39. dissed215-

    What exactly has Flacco won? Regular season games, sure. A couple Divisional playoff games, fine, but nothing bigger than that. As soon as Flacco starts winning the big games he’ll be thrown around in the ‘top 5’ discussion.

    I’m not saying it’s impossible or not going to happen. Personally I see the Ravens as an excellent example of a complete team, similar to the Redskins of ~25 years ago. If you remove guys like Brady or Brees from their team, the team dies. If you remove Flacco, not so much. At least not yet.

    Happy Friday!

  40. tkebean = typical loser steeler fan, jmsincla = clueless. there have been a number of great QBs who haven’t ever gotten to the SB…..and they are in the HOF…..Flacco has kept the Ravens alive each of the 4 years he’s started.and was a hair’s breath away 2 of those years……if Flacco had been removed the Ravens wouldnt have made the playoffs..sorry!

  41. No, golonger dude, if the Ravens had “removed” Ray Rice, they probably wouldn’t have made the playoffs. Flacco? Would’ve been fine with any other competent average QB in his place. Sorry!

    Typical deluded Ravens fan.

    Ray Rice’s agent should be the one demanding top 5 money.

  42. golonger says:
    Feb 17, 2012 5:00 PM

    “…jmsincla = spot on! there have been a number of great defenses who haven’t ever gotten to the SB…The Ravens Defense has kept them alive each of the 4 years……if Flacco had been removed the Ravens they would have been the same team.”

    Fixed it for you pal. 5:00 is a bit early to be hitting the sauce, FYI.

  43. psuravens19 said:

    1) Sorry your a Skins Fan
    2) Sorry you took the time to research all that info.
    3) I can’t stand the Baltimore Sun and don’t read it
    4) Never said Flacco was a top 5 QB
    5) Never said he was the best out there
    6) All I said was, I would take Flacco over those QB’s I listed.
    7) Also said, Flacco doesn’t cost his team games and plays every snap of very game

    So what exactly do you want me to be realistic about?
    ————————————————-

    Nice list…real nice. Sorry it took me so long to respond, I was blown away by the quality and cleanliness of this 7 point list. I apologize that for the past couple weeks you’ve been walking around thinking that you really know ur stuff..when in fact, ur just another idiot from baltimore…real sorry. Let me get you back on the right path:

    Here is the list you provided of QB’s you would take Flacco over: Romo, Rivers, Vick, Schaub, and Ryan…let me put this into Baltimore terms since its the only way you can comprehend it. Thats like saying u’ll take Natty Boh over PBR, Beast, Beast Ice and Busch Heavy. Not exactly a who’s who of great tasting brews. Therefore, point nullified.

    My bad on taking so much time doing research, I dunno, I was just taught that when forumulating an argument you use facts to support it…ur right tho i’ll take ur approach instead.

    EVERYONE LIST THEIR TEAMS AND WHO IS THEIR QB.

    Nailed it. Black and Purple, Black and Purple, Black and Purple.

    Also, to answer your final question…yes, Flacco has lost games for the Ravens…apparently u are not only against stats and facts…you also dont read them when inserted in an argument. I just gave you four games where he was given the chance to win the game…he lost all 4.

    So in summary, great looking list…even tho #’s 4-6 were basically one run on sentence that you strategically inserted numbers into, fancying it up a bit. I know, I know…im taking up too much of your time with this “loser” reading stuff, go ahead…get to Pickles before you miss happy hour.

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