"Joe has every intention to play but not at the risk of his long-term health"
Wednesday 19 February 2020 12:57, UK
Denver Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco intends to continue playing in 2020, assuming he is cleared medically in his recovery from a neck injury, his agent said on Tuesday.
"Joe has every intention to play but not at the risk of his long-term health," agent Joe Linta told 9News Denver.
Flacco, 35, was placed on injured reserve on November 1 with a herniated cervical disk in his neck. Reports at the time said he was expected to avoid surgery, but Flacco told reporters last month that a decision about surgery remained up in the air, pending MRI tests.
According to 9News Denver, Flacco had an MRI last week with "encouraging" results, and the images and exam were sent to a spine specialist for a second opinion.
The report also said Broncos general manager John Elway has yet to make a decision on the team's plans for Flacco in 2020.
Flacco is set to count $23.65m against the cap in 2020. His release would save $10.05m of that, while leaving a $13.6m dead-money charge after the Broncos restructured the quarterback's contract last September.
Almost all of the cap space created by the restructure was rolled over into 2020, as Denver is currently projected to have $58m in cap room.
Drew Lock is expected to be the Broncos' starting quarterback moving forward and Flacco would likely have to take a significant pay cut to stay in Denver as the backup.
Acquired from the Baltimore Ravens for a fourth-round pick last year, Flacco started eight games for the Broncos before getting hurt, throwing for 1,822 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions as Denver started 2-6.
His 85.1 passer rating was his highest mark in a season since 2014 (91.0).
Flacco has a career passer rating of 84.1, having thrown 218 touchdown passes and 141 interceptions. He has thrown for 40,067 yards.
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