Joe Flacco is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Before that, he played college football in Pittsburg and then Delaware and was an outright draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2008 NFL draft round. He’s had a fast-paced and successful career and is a fan favorite of the game, and the Baltimore Ravens in particular. Here’s everything you need to know about him, his family, and his financial status.
Joe Flacco Biography
Joe Flacco was born on January 16, 1985 and was given the full name of Joseph Vincent Flacco. His family lived in Audobon, New Jersey at the time, and Joe attended Audobon High School, where he unleashed his athleticism in baseball, football, and basketball. He was the starting quarterback for the school’s football team, Green Wave, and was later ranked #39 for quarterback prospects in their class of 2003.
When Joe Flacco was a freshman, he was a part of the Pittsburgh Panthers football team. He was named backup quarterback in 2004. He didn’t play much as a backup and finished the season with just 11 yards. He transferred to Delaware in 2006 and was then able to play full-time for the Fightin’ Blue Hens. He proved so valuable to the school that he set over 20 new school records and the school put up a poster of him in their stadium to show their appreciation.
While Joe Flacco was in Delaware, he was skeptical about his chances of getting drafted for the NFL and even asked his coach if he could play baseball. His coach’s belief in him and his subsequent solid performance at the NFL Combine and Senior Bowl helped him become a top five quarterback in the 2008 NFL Draft. His position was further cemented when he won the long throw at the ESPN State Farm College Football All-Star Challenge with a throw of 74 yards.
Baltimore Ravens officers attended his training at the Senior Bowl and were very impressed with his throwing form in the rain and wind. They continued to be impressed with his skills in Delaware, which also had poor weather conditions and an untrimmed and uncoated field. They were sure he would find success in Pittsburgh and Cleveland later in the season. In the 2008 NFL Draft, Joe Flacco was drafted 18th overall by the Baltimore Ravens, making him the highest-drafted player from Delaware. He signed a five-year contract with a maximum value of $30 million and a guarantee of $8.75 million on July 16, 2008.
Since his rookie season, Joe Flacco has remained the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens and became the first rookie quarterback in league history to win two road playoff games. He was the first quarterback as the Baltimore Ravens won the AFC North twice and appeared in three AFC Championship games. Joe Flacco was also the starting quarterback when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers and won Super Bowl XLVII. He was named MVP of Super Bowl XLVII and signed a six-year, $120.6 million contract after the 2012 season.
Joe Flacco has also established himself as a postseason standout with a career playoff record of 10-5 and a record for most postseason road wins. Considered one of the strongest arms in the NFL, he became the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history in 2013, though he was quickly surpassed by Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers within months.
Joe Flacco alongside his Baltimore Ravens contract also signed a contract with Reebok in 2008 which lasted three years. He was a spokesman for Pizza Hut in 2009, ended in 2010 and has also supported Nike, Haribo and 1st Mariner Bank since January 2013. In 2013, he struck an endorsement deal with McDonalds to promote the brand’s new menu items called Mighty Wings. He also partnered with opendorse to promote the Zynga mobile app called NFL Showdown: Football Manager.
Career and injury statistics
In July 2017, Joe Flacco suffered a back injury and sat out 3-6 weeks of training camp. He suffered a concussion stroke from Kiko Alonso in a Thursday Night Football game against the Miami Dolphins. With all of that, Joe Flacco finished the season in 16 games, throwing for 1,141 yards for a total of 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
In 2018, the football player threw three touchdowns on September 9, 2018 and earned a 121.7 passing rating in the blowout against the Buffalo Bills.
Family Facts
Joe Flacco is the son of Karen Madden and Steve Flacco. He has four younger brothers named Mike, John, Brian and Tom. Mike Flacco is a retired baseball player who is now enrolled at the University of New Haven and plays football. John Flacco is a walk-on receiver at Stanford Cardinal, and Tom Flacco played quarterback at Western Michigan University for two seasons before joining Rutgers and then Towson.
Joe married Dana Flacco in 2011 and the two now have five children. Stephen Flacco their first child was born in June 2012, Danie Flacco was next in September 2013, Francis Flacco was born in January 2015, Evelyn Flacco was born in September 2016 and their last child, Thomas Flacco, was born in April 2018.