The Cleveland Browns clinched a spot in this year's NFL playoffs with their win against the New YorkJets in Week 17, their first time making the playoffs since the 2020 season and fourth time since since 1990. It's even more impressive considering they've had four quarterbacks under center this season and their best starter, Joe Flacco, was unsigned for most of the season.
The Browns are locked into the No. 5 seed and will travel to either Jacksonville, Indianapolis or Houston for their Wild Card round matchup, and head coach Kevin Stefanski said he will sit his key players in Week 18 at Cincinnati. That includes Flacco, who has been the catalyst for the Browns' late-season push alongside their stellar defense.
The decision to sit Flacco will prove to be a costly one for the Super Bowl MVP. Flacco signed a one-year deal worth up to $2.5 million total. Flacco's contract also has incentives that pay him $75K for each Browns win in the regular season. So far, the QB has racked up $300K over Cleveland's four-game win streak, but he won't get a chance at more pocket change this week as the team gears up for the playoffs.
Flacco can still rack up money if the Browns can pick up a win, or multiple wins, in the NFL playoffs. A win in the Wild Card game would net him $250K. A win in the divisional round is worth $500K. An AFC Championship Game win would get him $1M, and a Super Bowl trophy would be worth an extra $2M.
Money isn't the only thing on the line for Flacco, though.
His odds to win Comeback Player of the Year were +25000 at DraftKings after his debut this season, and they have fallen to +175 entering the final week of the season. Flacco trails Damar Hamlin (-250) on the board at the time of this writing, and he will have to hope his five-game sample is enough to sway voters away from the heavy favorite, who came back this season after suffering a cardiac arrest from a hit he took last season.
