Joe Flacco will return to the field as the starting quarterback for Indianapolis Colts to continue his 17-year NFL career.
The former Super Bowl winner signed with the Colts on a one-year deal back in March, and he has unseated previous starter Anthony Richardson after he struggled through the first month of the season. Flacco came into the week four game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the game 27-24, and also impressed with three touchdowns and no interceptions in a narrow 37-34 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Since then, the quarterback has started every game and will be starting against the Minnesota Vikings in week nine, according to ESPN. Despite playing for six teams across his NFL career, the 39-year-old has become a stalwart in the league and was handed the nickname ‘Joe Cool’ for his ability to handle pressure during the regular season and play-offs.
So, how much does Flacco earn, how much is he worth and what words of advice was he given from an unusual source when playing in the NFL? Here, the Irish Star have all the details.
What is Joe Flacco’s net worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Flacco has retained an impressive $85million (£65.6m) from his 17-year NFL career. The quarterback has earned over $175m (£134.7m) alone in NFL salary, making him one of the highest-earning players in the league so far.
This monster net worth is down to the huge deals he has been signed to on both the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos. At the Ravens, immediately after their 34-31 Super Bowl win against the San Francisco 49ers, Flacco became a free agent and was eligible for a major contract at any of the big teams.
So, on March 1, 2013, the athlete signed a new Ravens deal that was worth over $120.6m (£92.8m) over six years, making him the highest-paid player in the NFL at the time. During this part of his career, Flacco earned a base salary of roughly $20m (£15.3m) over six years, working out to a whopping $170,000 (£130k) per in-season day.
(Image: JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)
In 2016, he then signed an extension with the Ravens that came with a $60m (£46.1m) signing bonus, and was the largest signing bonus at that point in the league.
Following his time in Baltimore, Flacco moved to the Broncos and earned $30m (£23m) in the 2019 season – despite playing just eight games. He then moved to the New York Jets and signed a $1.5m (£1.15m) deal, and actually earned more than $15m (£11.5m) thanks to a contract hold-out with the Broncos.
He then earned additional money from the Jets in 2021 and 2022, with his 2022 salary adding up to $3.5m (£2.6m).
What is Joe Flacco’s salary after his Colts deal?
After spending most of the 2023 season without a team, Flacco signed a one-year contract with the Colts that is worth up to $8.7m (£6.6m). This deal includes a guaranteed $4.5m (£3.4m) for the quarterback, as per Rapoport.
Celebrity Net Worth has reported Flacco’s salary to be as sky-high as $387,000 (£297k), which is an incredible amount for a veteran quarterback that was planned to be back-up to the young Richardson.
Joe Flacco’s wife and her harsh advice
Flacco met his wife Dana when they were only young, dating throughout college and getting married in the beginning stages of his NFL career in 2011.
Since they said ‘I do’, Joe and Dana have welcomed five children into their family; sons Stephen, Daniel, Francis, Thomas and a daughter called Evelyn. The family have moved from Baltimore to Denver to New York throughout Flacco’s career, and have been a big part of the athlete’s drive and passion for the game.
(Image: Al Bello/Getty Images)
After Flacco led the Cleveland Browns to the Wild Card round of the play-offs – which they ultimately lost to the Houston Texans in 2023 – the now-39-year-old claimed the best part about the run was being able to relish the moment with his family.
During a post-game conference in 2023, Flacco said: “I can’t say it enough, to have children that are of the age where they understand what’s going on means I’m going to remember these things forever.”
He also praised the fun that fatherhood has brought to his relationship with his wife in a promotional video for the Ravens, adding: “It’s definitely changed how I spend time in the off-season. Me and my wife look at each other and wonder what we did before we had them, because you’re just wrapped up in those guys. It’s been a lot of fun.”
But the quarterback once received some harsh criticism from his wife when lining up in an unusual position for the Ravens in 2018. After he lined up as a wide receiver to allow then-rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson to take the lead, it turns out Dana wasn’t too happy about this.
Speaking after the game at the time, Flacco said: “My wife gave me crap the one day, told me I need to look more interested out there. But I’m just trying to stay out of it. I’m not comfortable out there. I don’t need to get too creative.”
