Joe Flacco: Backing Up Lamar Jackson 'Not the Most Fun Position in the World'

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said Friday he hasn't spent much time thinking about what it will feel like to serve as a backup to Lamar Jackson in Sunday's playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers or whether it could be his last game in Baltimore. 

Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reported the Ravens are "expected" to part ways with Flacco after the season with Jackson emerging as the quarterback of the future and the Super Bowl XLVII MVP noted watching from the sideline isn't the ideal scenario.

"I don't know if it's going to be any more different or not," Flacco said. "It's definitely not the most fun position in the world. It is what it is."

The 33-year-old University of Delaware product suffered a hip injury in November and failed to reclaim the starting role because Jackson's electric playmaking ability had provided a spark for the Baltimore offense.

If the Ravens are confident the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner is the long-term answer at quarterback, there's little reason to keep Flacco.

He's set to count $26.5 million against the salary cap in 2019 as part of his three-year, $66.4 million contract extension. A post-June 1 release would leave just $8 million in dead-cap space, saving the team $18.5 million for next season, per Spotrac.

Flacco played the best football of his career during the 2012-13 postseason when he completed 57.9 percent of his throws with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions across four games during the team's title run.

He's never matched that production over the course of an entire season. His career quarterback rating is a lackluster 84.1, right in line with his 2018 mark of 84.2. Pro Football Focus graded him as the NFL's No. 22 quarterback this season.

"I haven't really thought too much about it, to be honest with you. It is what it is," Flacco said about the chance its his last home game in Baltimore, per Hensley. "We're a No. 4 seed. There's always a possibility that in the final round before the Super Bowl you can come back here. So you never know."

It's possible the Ravens could return to M&T Bank Stadium in the AFC Championship Game but Flacco will be stuck holding the clipboard for the duration of the playoff run barring an injury to Jackson. A likely unceremonious end to his career with the franchise.