Colts backup QB Joe Flacco doesn’t need to be a ‘mentor’ next season, just a polished pro

Don’t misconstrue what veteran Joe Flacco has been saying, he’s happy to be a professional—but he’s not going to coddle anyone either, even the Colts’ Anthony Richardson included.

Freshly signed Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco expectedly raised some eyebrows the other week when he initially indicated, “I’m not a mentor,” regarding his newfound relationship with 2nd-year starter Anthony Richardson (via The Athletic’s James Boyd):

Those few words when taken purely at their face seem rather self-absorbed, but it’s important to consider the full context of what the 39-year old veteran (and former Super Bowl MVP winning) gunslinger is actually saying regarding his future role with the Colts.

It’s nothing new for Joe Flacco either.

He indicated the same thing when he was with the Denver Broncos regarding young quarterback Drew Lock. Ditto in Baltimore when he was ultimately succeeded by now 2x NFL MVP of the Ravens, Lamar Jackson, at starting quarterback.

Flacco isn’t going to come into the Colts building and coddle Richardson or have some ‘grandfather to grandson’ or ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker’ type idealistic relationship.

He hasn’t done it with any other young ‘quarterback of the future’ he’s been paired with as a bridge during ‘the back nine’ of his impressive 16-year NFL career—and he’s certainly not going to start now, nearly forty years old and even longer in the tooth than Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen (surprisingly who’s still only 38 years old).

It’s well understood that Flacco is joining the Colts to be the primary backup to Richardson, and for all intensive purposes, there is no starting quarterback competition in Indianapolis.

It’s clearly Richardson’s job—and hopefully should be for the next decade plus.

That being said, Flacco started 5 games for the upstart Cleveland Browns last season, going 4-1, and helping lead them to an improbable AFC wild card berth, even after starter Deshaun Watson’s eventual season-ending shoulder injury.

Flacco’s going to prepare as though he’s the starter and be a professional both in that quarterbacks room and on the practice field—the latter with whatever limited snaps he’s given behind Richardson.

Expecting anything less, and you’re not respecting him as either a top competitor and elite-level professional athlete. He wouldn’t have gotten this far without that same demanding preparation, professionalism, and competitive fire.

It doesn’t mean Flacco is going to be a jerk in Indy, it just means that he’s going to conduct himself like a seasoned pro, answering questions, and helping out Richardson here-and-there where he can. He’s hoping to build continuing camaraderie in that quarterbacks room (and in film study) with both Richardson and likely third-string quarterback Sam Ehlinger—allowing those relationships to grow naturally, rather than be contrived.

The hope is that much like highly accomplished backup Matt Hasselbeck once was for Colts franchise quarterback Andrew Luck, Flacco can provide that same kind of veteran soundboard for Richardson early in his career, with a wealth of starting experience—having 185 career starts.

If called upon as a starter, and hopefully he’s not (*unless Indy is resting starters late in the year), Flacco can hopefully keep the Colts competitive and give them a puncher’s chance to win most games, much like Hasselbeck did in 2015, going 5-3 as a starter, and even more recently, the man he’s replacing, Gardner Minshew—who surprisingly went 7-6 this past season respectively.

Point being, the Colts don’t necessarily need Joe to be a mentor per se, just a polished pro!

He’s been that.