Joe Flacco Rants About NFL Rule Changes in Video, 'We Signed Up to Get Hurt'

Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco offered an interesting take on the rules the NFL put in the game to protect quarterbacks.

"I still have that mindset, I don't think it should be roughing the passer when they land on us," he told ESPN's Kevin Clark. "I don't think being slapped in the head should be roughing the passer. It honestly annoys me because it affects games in a negative way at random times. And they can call it or not call it. It needs to get out of the game. I know CTE is a thing these days and all that, but it's football. We signed up to play it. And I do think the guys in my generation might benefit a little bit from having that mindset, because the guys coming into the league these days look at me like I'm crazy. Like, 'What do you mean you want receivers to get laid out over the middle and you want guys to land on you?' I'm like, 'Yeah guys, that's football.' There's certain things that shouldn't be penalties. ... We signed up to get concussions. We signed up to get hurt. It is what it is. You might not like that but it's what we kinda did when we decided to play this game."

The counterargument to Flacco's argument is that NFL players actually signed up to play football and injuries are simply an unfortunate reality of a physical game. But it's also understandable why the NFL would try to protect its best players if possible without compromising the essence of the game.

People want to watch Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. People are less enthused watching Gardner Minshew, Mitchell Trubisky, Tyler Huntley and Jake Browning (or Flacco, for that matter).

Concussions are also incredibly serious, especially in the long term for those who suffer them, and every effort should be made to minimize head trauma. So while it's understandable that Flacco believes the NFL has perhaps gone too far with some of the roughing the passer calls, it's a complicated balancing act for the league.