Joe Flacco 100% Needs to Retire After Latest Injury Update

Joe Flacco was traded from Baltimore to the Denver Broncos in 2019 and only appeared in eight games before being held out with a neck injury. He was released earlier this offseason after failing a physical. Now, it appears his NFL career may be in jeopardy.

The 35-year-old quarterback reportedly underwent a spinal disc procedure in April. Still unsigned in free agency and not expected to be cleared medically until the fall, signs are increasingly pointing toward his need to retire.

Free-agent QB Joe Flacco, whose 2019 season ended because of a neck injury, underwent a 45-minute disc repair in early April, source said. Timeline to be cleared is late August to mid-September, so right around the start of the season. (@caplannfl first noted the surgery)
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 7, 2020

Neck injuries are nothing to mess with, and Flacco would not even be able to play until the season has already begun. A team would have to have a ton of faith in him even to offer him a meager one-year deal in the first place.

The best course of action for his long-term health would be to hang up the cleats for good. And there would be absolutely no shame in that. He's a Super Bowl champ, after all, and nobody will ever be able to take that away from him.

Free-agent QB Joe Flacco underwent neck procedure in April, should be cleared by start of seasonhttps://t.co/VoAw1nQnkx pic.twitter.com/DDz4R4r2hd
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) May 7, 2020

Flacco was relegated to a backup role with the Ravens in 2018 and went 2-6 as a starter in Denver last year before his season ended. It is hard to imagine him being a full-time starter again, and that's even before factoring in his health concerns. The safest option is to stay off the gridiron and just enjoy retirement.