Joe Flacco beats out Damar Hamlin in NFL Comeback Player of the Year surprise

Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, who was unsigned through late November, won the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year award Thursday at the NFL Honors show in Las Vegas.

Flacco beat out Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who was widely expected to win the award after he suffered a cardiac arrest episode in a game late in the 2022 season.

Hamlin received more first-place votes (21) than Flacco (13), but he finished behind in points 151-140 after being left off eight of 50 ballots.

Flacco, who was 38 when the Browns signed him, was mostly an afterthought in the landscape of NFL quarterbacks after he had spent three seasons as a reserve with the New York Jets. Cleveland had originally signed Flacco to its practice squad in an emergency move after a rash of injuries at the position before elevating him to the active roster Dec. 14.

In five games, Flacco unlocked Cleveland's deep passing game and led the Browns to a 4-1 record. He completed 60.3% of his passes for 1,616 yards, with 13 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Receiver Amari Cooper and tight end David Njoku in particular, a pair of players who had been underwhelming before Flacco started playing, saw their target share and production increase significantly with the veteran passer.

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The Browns finished 11-6 in the AFC North, which earned them the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff picture. Cleveland's run, however, was short-lived, as it was blown out in a wild-card round loss against the Houston Texans. In that game, Flacco struggled significantly. He notched 307 yards and one score, but he also threw a pair of pick-sixes on consecutive possessions that helped Houston extend its lead. The Browns would go on to lose, 45-14.

Because Flacco had signed a one-year deal with the Browns, he is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the league year.

Because Deshaun Watson is still under a fully-guaranteed contract for the Browns, Flacco's stint in Cleveland may have been a short one. The team could explore a deal to bring Flacco back as a backup, but the veteran said during an appearance on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show that he still sees himself as a starter.

“One backup job may be different than another backup job,” Flacco said last week during the interview. “There’s spots where I’m going to be comfortable taking that role to some extent. But, obviously, I do want to play some games. I feel like I can do that.”

Contributing: Scooby Axson