Browns’ Joe Flacco Wins 2023-24 Comeback Player of the Year Award over Damar Hamlin

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco bounced back in a big way during the 2023 season and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year on Thursday.

Flacco spent the first half of the season on his couch before he got a call from the Browns to sign with the team in the wake of Deshaun Watson’s season-ending shoulder injury. He was thrust into action as the team’s starter in Week 13 and never looked back, turning back the clock with some impressive performances that made him one of the most heartwarming stories in the NFL.

Flacco started the last five games of the season and went 4-1 to lead the Browns to a postseason berth that was thought to be out of the realm of possibilities due to the team’s rash of injuries. Flacco, who turned 39 on Jan. 16, threw for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The veteran threw for 307 yards, a touchdown and two picks in Cleveland’s AFC Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans.

Flacco beat out Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

It was just over a year ago that the football world was rocked when Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023. After being resuscitated on the field and taken to a hospital, Hamlin made a full recovery and put his focus into returning to the football field this season.

Hamlin achieved his goal, appearing in five games for a Bills team that won its fourth straight AFC East title and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Round before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. Hamlin has been active in charitable efforts through his Chasing M’s Foundation, including launching a scholarship program and hosting community events.

Playing for his third team in the last two years, Mayfield appeared to find a home with the Bucs as he reminded everyone why he was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft. Mayfield recorded career highs of 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 64.3 percent passing as he led Tampa Bay to its third straight NFC South title. In the playoffs, he helped the team upset the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round before falling to the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round.

Mayfield was named to the Pro Bowl as an alternate for his first career selection. Though free agency is once again on the horizon, Mayfield and the Bucs expressed mutual interest in keeping him in Tampa Bay for the foreseeable future. The 28-year-old went from an uncertain NFL future to potentially being a franchise quarterback with the Bucs.

After being limited to nine games in an injury-riddled 2022 season, Stafford managed to stay healthy this year as he led the 2021 Super Bowl champion Rams back to the postseason. He appeared in 15 games and threw for 3,965 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He threw for 367 yards and two scores in the team’s one-point loss to the Detroit Lions in the NFC Wild Card Round.

Stafford, who won Comeback Player of the Year in 2011, was named to his second career Pro Bowl for his impressive season. He turned 36 on Wednesday, so winning the award for a second time would have been a great birthday present.

Tagovailoa’s 2022 season was mired by multiple concussions, but he bounced back in a big way this year as he led the NFL’s most prolific offense. He played all 17 games and led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards while adding 29 touchdowns against 14 interceptions on 69.3 percent passing. The Dolphins led the league in total offense with 401.3 yards per game on their way to earning their second straight trip to the playoffs, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card Round.

Despite the disappointing end to their season, the Dolphins have enough talent to be one of the top contenders in the AFC for years to come. Tagovailoa has proved to be one of the league’s most productive quarterbacks, so the team is in good hands with him under center.

Flacco is nearing the end of his career, but earning Comeback Player of the Year is proof that the veteran signal-caller still has something left in the tank. It remains to be seen if he’ll have a repeat performance in 2024.