The Colts signed quarterback Joe Flacco to a one-year – $4.5 million deal this offseason. On top of that, Flacco has additional incentives he can earn based on playing time.
Of Flacco’s $4.5 million that he will earn this season, $3 million of it comes in the form of a base salary and the other $1.5 million as a signing bonus.
Ari Meriov of the 33rd Football Team recently provided insight into the contract incentives for a number of free-agent signings. Here is a look at the additional dollars Flacco can earn this season:
Playing 30% of snaps: $250,000
Playing 40% of snaps: $250,000
Playing 50% of snaps: $250,000
Playing 60% of snaps: $250,000
Playing 50% of snaps in a game + team wins: $100K each
Playing 50% of snaps in playoff game + team wins: $250K each
Flacco was the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2023 while with Cleveland. He led the Browns to the playoffs, completing 63 percent of his passes at 7.7 yards per attempt with 14 touchdowns to 10 interceptions from Week 13 on.
Anthony Richardson would end up appearing in only four games during his rookie year with the Colts after a shoulder injury that required surgery cut his season short.
“I don’t think there’s any way I could have avoided what happened to me,” said Richardson when asked about changing his play style. “It was just a regular routine tackle, I tried to brace myself for the fall and my shoulder just did what it did. There’s nothing I can do about that. Changing my game and my play style, I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with my play style. People see me, I’m a big quarterback, so they always think ‘oh he want to run the ball and he wants to be physical,’ and that’s what’s going to get him hurt, and that’s not the case.
“The times I did get hurt, the one time, the one concussion, that was me completely because I slowed down by the end zone–you’re never supposed to do that. And everything else just happened because we play a dangerous game. There’s nothing I can do about that. But necessarily changing my play, I don’t think I’m going to change it, but being smart and knowing when to get extra yards and knowing when to get down, I feel like I know how to do that it’s just have to do it and do it at the right time. I don’t think I’m going to change anything but being smarter for the team, of course.”
In four games, Richardson completed 60 percent of his throws at 6.9 yards per attempt with three touchdowns to one interception. He also rushed for 136 yards and four additional scores.
Richardson is back on the practice field for OTAs and is a full go. The ceiling for this Colts’ offense will be determined by Richardson’s play, but he has help around him, with talented skill position players and a stout offensive line.