The Browns lost their starting quarterback this season, but a good defense and the decision to sign Joe Flacco has Cleveland closing in on the playoffs.
The Jets lost their starting quarterback this season, too, but a good defense wasn’t enough to overcome the mess of a backup quarterback situation.
Flacco was unsigned and available to the Jets when Rodgers went down, but the team never called him. Jets coach Robert Saleh said there’s “never regret” about that decision and he won’t second-guess it.
“I don’t think I ever let myself go there,” Saleh said, via Newsday.
Saleh said Flacco did a good job for the Jets last year (including leading them to a comeback win over the Browns), but the Jets had the quarterback room they wanted with Rodgers, Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle.
“We love Joe, first and foremost,” Saleh said. “We spent a couple of years with him, love him, love the way he prepares, really pumped for him and the success he’s having. It’s just the decision we made in terms of the quarterback room and the way we developed it over the course of OTAs and training camp. It was just a decision we made.”
Saleh may say there are no regrets, but Flacco has played better for the Browns this year than any of the three quarterbacks the Jets have played without Rodgers. With a competent veteran like Flacco, the Jets might still be in playoff contention.
