Joe Flacco: Damar Hamlin Should Win Comeback Player of the Year

To many football fans, including likely quite a few in Cleveland, Joe Flacco coming out of retirement to lead the Browns to the NFL playoffs was the story of the 2023 NFL season. But if you ask Flacco, what he did wasn't all that impressive.

And according to Flacco, it's Damar Hamlin who should be getting all the consideration for NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Flacco joined CBS Sports Radio this week, where he said that all he did was come back from "being old and not being on a team for a couple months." Hamlin, of course, returned to the Buffalo Bills this season after almost dying on the field during a January 2, 2023 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"I don't necessarily know what I'm coming back from. I would say most of the guys on that list [Flacco, Hamlin, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford and Tua Tagovailoa], I don't know what we're coming back from, so that's probably my initial reaction. But I think that any time you're getting recognized in this league for playing well, I guess, it can be flattering. It's a cool group to be part of, that's for sure.

"But yeah, that's my initial thought. I'm just coming back from, what, being old and not being on a team for a couple of months. … I think we could probably go through most of the guys on that list, besides Damar, I don't know if we're necessarily coming back from anything."

Asked if he then thinks Hamlin should win the award, Flacco replied:

"For sure. I don't know how many snaps he played, but I just think, mentally, to get back to the point where you feel comfortable doing that kind of thing — obviously, the physical parts, you don't need any explanation there — but I think mentally, to get yourself ready to go back out there and feel good doing what we do, especially at his position, is pretty cool."

Although NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award odds are currently off the board, Hamlin was the odds-on favorite to win the award at FanDuel at the end of the 2023 NFL regular season.

NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award Odds After 2023 Regular Season

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of end of Week 18. Fair Implied Probability is the implied probability with the vigorish removed.