Denver Broncos: 5 reasons the Joe Flacco trade might not suck

Does the Joe Flacco trade inspire a lot of confidence? Perhaps not, but here are five reasons the trade might not suck for the Denver Broncos.

Having a hard time with the idea of Joe Flacco being the new starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos?

I know, I know…Me too. You can hear some of my gripes on our good friend Cody Roark’s Locked on Broncos podcast.

All the numbers seem to indicate Flacco is not a viable solution for a team, despite what he’s done in the (increasingly distant) past. Flacco’s last great season was in 2014, which incidentally was the last time the Broncos had strong quarterback play.

John Elway, Vic Fangio, and Rich Scangarello must be getting ready to party like it’s 2012 with Flacco, a guy who beat Fangio’s defense pretty good in Super Bowl 42 that year (yeah, we all remember that right?).

Fangio’s 49ers defense ranked second in the NFL in points allowed that season, and Flacco’s Ravens laid 34 on him in the Super Bowl. That memory probably stands out for the Broncos’ new head coach.

Though that version of Flacco may not be coming to Denver, there could be some reasons to be optimistic about the move despite my initial reaction, which was one of pure sadness.

The Broncos obviously got together and made a very quick decision to get this deal done, sending the Ravens a pretty high fourth-round pick to get Flacco in the building.

Ultimately, there’s very little risk in giving up a fourth-rounder for a possible starting solution at quarterback, but even that aspect of this move will be scrutinized.

The Broncos clearly believe the 34-year old Flacco has something left to offer. They had better believe he can help them win a bunch of games if he stays healthy, and they had better have a plan in place if it doesn’t work out.

Even though my initial reaction — like many of you — was overwhelmingly negative to this move, I am willing to be open-minded about it as opposed to being miserable for the next 12 months. Here are five reasons this trade for the Broncos might not suck after all.