It is one and done for Flacco, who will leave the Broncos with a failed physical designation following Thursday's announcement.
Flacco was named the Super Bowl MVP as he led the Baltimore Ravens to glory in Super Bowl XLVII before being traded in 2019.
However, Flacco endured a forgettable season with the Broncos – a herniated disc in his neck ruining the 35-year-old's campaign.
Flacco started eight games for Denver, throwing for 1,822 yards and six touchdowns with five interceptions while completing 65.3 per cent of his passes.
Drafted by the Ravens in the first round in 2008, Flacco has compiled a 98-73 record, passing for 40,067 yards, 218 touchdowns and 141 interceptions.
Flacco is in line to back up second-year QB Jalen Hurts, who appears set to start for the Eagles following Carson Wentz's trade to the Indianapolis Colts.
The 36-year-old Flacco moves to Philadelphia for his 14th NFL season after appearing in five games for the lowly New York Jets last campaign.
Flacco went 0-4 as a starter for the Jets, replacing Sam Darnold in October and November after the latter suffered a shoulder injury.
A Super Bowl winner and MVP with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, Flacco had an 80.6 passer rating and a 55.2 per cent completion rate last season.
Since making his debut for the Ravens in 2008, Flacco has 3,744 completions for 40,931 yards, 224 touchdowns and 144 interceptions in 176 games, with a passer rating of 84.1
Flacco joins a new-look Eagles team, who have turned to rookie Nick Sirianni after Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson was fired following a 4-11-1 season.
Hurts replaced 2017 Pro Bowler Wentz in Week 13, tallying 77 completions for 1,061 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions in four starts.
The 22-year-old – drafted in the second round in 2020 – also rushed for 354 yards for three TDs on 63 carries.
With Sam Darnold out injured with a shoulder injury, Flacco – as he did for two games earlier this season – started at quarterback for a Jets side who have gone 0-9 to start a season for the first time.
For three quarters, things looked promising for the Jets to finally get a tick in the win column. Flacco had completed 17 of 22 passes for 254 yards, thrown for three touchdowns – including launching a 50-yard bomb for wide receiver Breshad Perriman – and had a passer rating of 154.2 as the Jets had 322 yards of offense.
It was a performance that saw the Jets into a 10-point lead prior to a truly abysmal fourth quarter. The Jets' defence could barely get off the field, with the Patriots' 13 minutes and 36 seconds in possession the longest in a single quarter since 2010.
The Jets, who now have a 30th losing season in 61 years and a fifth straight in a row, had once gone 0-8 before winning a game to finish 1-15 in 1996 but now face the very realistic possibility of joining the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns as the only teams to post 0-16 seasons.
Flacco said the Jets have to find a way to close out winning positions.
"When you're out there, man, you really have to leave the emotions of all that out of it," Flacco said in quotes reported by the Jets' official website.
"That's the thing you repeat to yourself in your head when any game's going on but especially this game: stay patient, stay locked in, do your job. I thought we did a good job of that all night. Maybe it fell apart there at the end.
"We just haven't been in these situations a lot this year, maybe this game and Denver. We have to get better at closing these games out."
The Jets now have the relief of a bye week before visiting the struggling Los Angeles Chargers and Flacco said the focus is just on trying to improve every day.
"Listen, there's challenges every single week. Right now, we're 0-9 so we're dealing with a lot of those right now," he said.
"I think we've done a good job throughout the week keeping our heads up, taking it one day at a time. It'll be up to the guys and the coaches on this team keeping that same mindset moving forward.
"There's seven weeks left in the season and if you don't come to work ready to go, this league will make it very long and hard for you to survive."
Wilson has been sidelined since suffering a meniscus tear and bone bruise in his right knee in their preseason opener, with veteran QB Joe Flacco stepping in during his absence.
Flacco struggled in Sunday's 27-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, coming only seven days after his heroics with two late touchdown passes in a miracle 31-30 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Wilson, who was pick two in the 2021 NFL Draft, is expected to come immediately back in as starting QB when healthy.
"I'm expecting [him back], but until the doctors say so, I'm just going to say he's being evaluated," Saleh told reporters.
Flacco had a poor game with two interceptions, two fumbles and four sacks against the Bengals.
"It's frustrating," Saleh said. "Any time you turn the ball over and you only get one takeaway, obviously you're not going to win the football game."
Fans became increasingly frustrated at Flacco, with boos heard at MetLife Stadium following a few throwaways, while there were chants for back-up QB Mike White to come on.
Saleh insisted he never considered a QB change, while Flacco said he had no time to worry about it.
"Fans want to see you win football games," Flacco said. "You get the frustration, but it was a two-score game.
"If we put one in the end zone there... we have more important things to worry about than listening to that stuff."
On the quarterback situation, Flacco added: "We'll see. You guys know more than I do. I'm going to keep my head down and keep working, doing all I can for this team in whatever role that may be."
The Jets boasted the fourth-best defense in the NFL based on yards allowed, but their offense could only finish 25th, hamstrung by mediocre quarterback play.
They tried to address their quarterback void by selecting Zach Wilson second overall in the 2021 draft, but after a horrific second campaign where he threw more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (six), the Jets are not willing to persist with the 23-year-old as the starter.
Johnson addressed Wilson's struggles, and pointed to the instability at starter – as Mike White and Joe Flacco combined for eight of the 17 starts this season – as a reason for the dysfunction.
"Zach had a tough year, there's no denying that," he said. "I still have confidence that I've seen some kernels of real talent there.
"[His] confidence level, whatever it was, went down, so that was certainly frustrating for him. And then we had that rotation, which is very hard to do in the NFL – changing quarterbacks."
He spoke about his willingness to reverse the fortunes of the offense in a similar fashion to the defense from a year ago, which was ranked as the league's worst in 2021.
"This team is loaded and ready to go," he said. "Our defense was an unbelievable story you saw this year, from last-place to close to the top in defense in terms of every measurable.
"If you can do the same thing on offense, it looks pretty good, right?"
The Jets are unlikely to enter the new season with another rookie under center, so to address their need, the Jets will need to either make a trade or venture into the free agent market.
The upcoming free agent class is headlined by the legendary Tom Brady and former MVP Lamar Jackson – players who will likely not come at a discount – but Johnson said he is willing to spend.
"Absolutely," he said. "We've got a cap, so there's an amount you can spend. But, yeah, that's kind of the missing piece."
When asked if he would give the coaching staff a playoff mandate, Johnson shot down the idea, saying it is not the right way to approach the situation.
"No, I don't do mandates," he said. "We've had a long wait.
"Fifty-four years from the last Super Bowl is too long, way too long. I'd like to change that fast, but mandates don't work."
Coach Robert Saleh announced on Wednesday that the second-year quarterback would be sidelined until Week 4 at the earliest.
On Monday, Saleh said it was possible Wilson would be on the field against the Baltimore Ravens after he threw some passes and tested his right knee during a workout.
Wilson suffered a bone bruise and torn meniscus in the knee while scrambling in the Jets' preseason opener on August 12.
The 23-year-old had successful arthroscopic surgery four days later, and the original diagnosis was he would be out for two to four weeks.
Saleh, however, is now saying Wilson will be out until at least October 2, when his team face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"We are going to make sure both mind and body are 110 per cent and make sure we do right by him," Saleh told reporters. "And we feel talking to the doctors and everyone, it's going to be that Pittsburgh week.
"After all the information gathering, it's just not worth the risk in terms of getting him out there. There's the knee element, there's the mind element, there's the practice element, there are a whole lot of things other than the knee."
Joe Flacco will feature on Sunday when the Jets host the Ravens. He spent his first 11 NFL seasons with Baltimore and guided the team to a championship in 2012 while being named Super Bowl MVP.
The 37-year-old Flacco is the Ravens' all-time leader in passing yards (38,245) and touchdown throws (212).
"I've been in a bunch of games where guys have played their past teams," Flacco said. "Usually, the emotions are definitely crazy. Guys try to act like they're so cool during the week. I've probably thought about it a tiny bit."
Former Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos QB Joe Flacco will be under centre at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, with Darnold considered week-to-week for the 0-4 Jets.
Darnold was injured in last Thursday's 38-27 loss to the Broncos after being slammed to the ground when sacked by Denver linebacker A.J. Johnson in the first quarter.
The third-year passer came out of the offense to have his throwing shoulder assessed and was replaced by Flacco but only missed five offensive plays before returning and finishing the game.
However, Darnold has suffered an AC joint sprain and head coach Adam Gase confirmed he remains in a lot of pain and would have difficulties even practicing this week.
Flacco, a free-agent signing for the Jets this offseason, will therefore make his first start of the season having only just recovered from neck surgery.
The Super Bowl XLVII MVP is in his 13th year in the league and has thrown for over 40,000 yards, 218 touchdowns and 141 interceptions, but he has started only 17 games since the 2017 season.
Meanwhile, this is now the third straight year that Darnold has missed time after a foot injury in 2018 and a bout of mononucleosis last year.
His latest issue has come at a bad time given the Jets are assessing their former first-round pick ahead of deciding whether or not to take up his fifth-year option.
The Jets offense ranked last in yardage and 31st in points in 2019, while they are next to last in each of those categories through four weeks of the 2020 campaign.
Darnold ranks 33rd in yards per attempt (5.74), 32nd in touchdown percentage (2.2 per cent) and 31st in passer rating (70.7) among qualifying QBs in 2020.
The woeful Jets are 0-5 after Flacco played in the absence of Darnold (shoulder) in a 30-10 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week.
Flacco will have another opportunity on the road against the 2-3 Dolphins, with the Jets unwilling to take any risks with their starter in a lost season.
"There's no doubt none of us would say he's anything but tough, but we just want to make sure he's good before we put him out there," under-pressure coach Adam Gase said about Darnold, who is targeting a Week 7 return against the Buffalo Bills.
"He is better than what he was last week. The more time you give him, the better he'll feel. He is taking the steps that we need him to take to give us an opportunity to take into next week. We'll make that decision when we get there.
"He is doing a good job of communicating and letting us know how he feels. He's being honest in terms of his pain tolerance, his range of motion, him being able to work on his throwing motion a little bit. He's a quick healer."
Flacco threw for 195 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions against the Cardinals, completing 18 of 33 passes.
Between Darnold and Flacco, the Jets rank last in the NFL with their average of 176 passing yards per game.
While there have been issues with injuries and the level of talent around him, Darnold has struggled, throwing for three TDs and four picks through the first four games before suffering an injury against the Denver Broncos.
Per the NFL's NextGen Stats, his season completion percentage of 59.4 per cent is below its expected level, putting him third-worst in the NFL among qualifying QBs, while his passer rating (70.7) is only above that of Daniel Jones and Carson Wentz.
The offense did not get much help when the decision was made to release unsettled running back Le'Veon Bell, midway through his second season after signing a lucrative four-year contract.
Bell had been unhappy with his usage by Gase, who has opted to continue calling plays against the Dolphins having pondered giving them up amid intense speculation over his job security.
However, he was reluctant to go into much detail when asked to reflect on the release of Bell.
"It's irrelevant at this point," said Gase. "It didn't work out. It didn't work out. We're going to focus on this game right now.
"For whatever reason it didn't work out. Our team is moving forward to Miami, that's the number one concern for us right now.
"I'm sure he'll get an opportunity somewhere else. We'll see what happens. We've got to coach better. We've got to play better. And that's really the entire team."
A rare positive for the Jets has been the form of wide receiver Jamison Crowder, who leads the NFL with his average of 111.7 yards per game after reaching the 100-yard mark in all three games he has played.
Crowder is averaging eight yards after the catch, 3.2 above his expected total. Only Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Chase Claypool (4.4 yards over expectation) is faring better in that category among NFL receivers.
The deal, first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, has a base value of $1.5million but also includes up to $3m in incentives.
The Jets spent a fourth-round pick in last month's draft on Florida International quarterback James Morgan, with journeyman David Fales and youngster Mike White still on the roster.
Flacco is still recovering from surgery to repair a neck injury that limited him to eight games last season, his only one with the Denver Broncos.
Flacco missed the last seven games of 2018 with the Baltimore Ravens after suffering torn ligaments in his left knee.
The 18th overall pick out of Delaware in 2008, Flacco did not make a Pro Bowl in his 11 seasons with the Ravens but made 15 postseason starts, guiding Baltimore to the 2012 title with one of the best playoff runs in league history.
Flacco threw multiple touchdown passes in each of the Ravens' four playoff games that season. He finished the postseason with a record-tying 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions for a 117.2 passer rating.
Flacco threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns in Super Bowl XLVII and was named the game's MVP as the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-31.
The Audubon, New Jersey native has 218 touchdowns and 141 interceptions in his career but has just 70 touchdown passes to 51 interceptions since 2015.
Nick Folk drilled a 51-yard field goal as time expired at MetLife Stadium, where the Patriots scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
It saw the Jets slump to 0-9 for the first time in their history as they suffered a ninth straight loss to the Patriots.
Joe Flacco, starting due to Sam Darnold's shoulder injury, threw three touchdown passes, completing 18 of 25 for 262 yards to go with one interception as he looked set to be leading the Jets to victory.
But Cam Newton, who completed 27 of 35 passes for 274 yards and rushed for two touchdowns, and the Patriots (3-5) rallied.
Jakobi Meyers had 169 receiving yards on 12 receptions for the Patriots, who are third in the AFC East.
Newton rushed in from five yards for the game's opening TD to give the Patriots a 7-3 lead after his 33-yard pass to Meyers set up the score.
Flacco and the Jets responded in the second quarter, outscoring the Patriots 17-3.
The Jets QB found Breshad Perriman with a brilliant 50-yard pass and an excellent 20-yarder to Jamison Crowder finished the half in style for New York.
With his pass to Perriman, Flacco passed Joe Montana (40,551) and went into 20th spot for most passing yards in NFL history.
The Jets had not had multiple pass TDs in an entire game since Week 15 last season, and Flacco helped them break that run in the first half.
The Patriots hit back to begin the second half as Rex Burkhead rushed in after a 13-play, 78-yard drive.
However, Flacco and Perriman combined again to restore the Jets' 10-point lead in the third quarter, although Folk's field goal with six minutes remaining brought the Patriots back within seven.
That would prove crucial as Newton rushed over to level the contest with just under two minutes remaining after a 72-yard drive.
And the QB put the Patriots in position in the final seconds, former Jet Folk delivering the game-winner.
Folk's 51-yarder was the longest game-winning field goal with no time left in the fourth quarter in the Patriots' history, surpassing Adam Vinatieri's 48-yarder to beat the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, as per Stats Perform.
Wilson has not played since suffering a meniscus tear and bone bruise in his right knee in the Jets' preseason opener, with veteran QB Joe Flacco stepping in during his absence.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed Wilson would start ahead of Flacco on Sunday, barring any unforeseen setbacks prior to the game.
"If all goes well this week, absolutely," Saleh said when asked about starting Wilson. "He's very comfortable. He's in a great mental state. Everyone is comfortable with where he's at physically."
Wilson, who was second pick overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, reiterated that he was physically ready.
"I'm 100 per cent, I'm ready to go," Wilson said. "The biggest thing is you haven't played ball in a little bit, you've been trying to replicate as much as possible, so I'm just going to have fun with this process and getting back in and just giving it my best."
Wilson's latest injury was on the same knee that he sprained last season, causing him to miss four games. The Jets quarterback insisted he would not alter his playing style to protect the knee.
"I'm full go. I'm going to play ball how I can," Wilson said. "If somebody comes up, [I'll] make somebody miss, get out on the edge, extend plays when I need to, hang in the pocket. I'm playing exactly how I should be."
In his rookie season, Wilson started 13 games, completing 213 of 383 attempts for 2,334 yards and nine touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He was sacked 44 times.
The veteran quarterback replaces Mike White, with rookie Zach Wilson not ready to return from a second-degree PCL sprain.
Flacco was reacquired by the struggling Jets (2-7) in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles last month following Wilson's injury blow.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh on Wednesday confirmed the 36-year-old will suit up to start in the Week 11 battle between the bottom two in the AFC East.
"One of the reasons we went and got Joe is for the experience, not only for the playing ability or for the [locker] room, but also for situations like this," said Saleh.
"Miami's got a dynamic coverage system, with all the different coverages they run. Joe has been there and done that and has kind of a steadying influence we felt would put us in the best position."
White threw four interceptions in last week's heavy 45-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
He has thrown for 953 yards with five touchdowns and eight interceptions in four matches this season.
Flacco spent the 2020 season at the Jets as backup before moving to the Eagles on a one-year, $3.5million contract.
The former Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl champion was relegated behind starter Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew at Philadelphia, who felt he was surplus to requirements.
Flacco completed 74 of 134 passes for 864 yards, with six touchdowns and three interceptions for the Jets last season.
The Jets rallied from a 13-point deficit in the final two minutes to win the game. No side had achieved that since the Chicago Bears in 2001, who also did it against the Browns.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh labelled it "something crazy", while quarterback Joe Flacco called it a "wild one".
While a lot went right for the Jets, a lot went wrong for the Browns, with Nick Chubb running in a touchdown to make it 30-17 with 1:55 left, instead of stopping short and retaining possession.
Given the Jets had no timeouts left, the Browns could have kept the ball and run out the clock. Instead, they handed possession over, offering the Jets a chance, which head coach Kevin Stefanski took the blame for.
"That is a scenario where that is on me to communicate that to the huddle," Stefanski said.
"We've done that before. Having said that, we need to close that game out."
The Browns also left wide receiver Corey Davis wide open for Flacco's 66-yard touchdown pass that gave the Jets an avenue back into the game, before the Jets' QB found rookie Garrett Wilson for the winner with 22 seconds left.
"Obviously, guys not on the same page," Stefanski said about the Davis touchdown.
"It was very, very clear what we were doing. We talked about it on the sideline before everybody went out and talked to the entire defense about what they were about to do, which was try and throw it over our head. We can't let that happen.
"We have a young football team, and unfortunately, that youth at times has shown up here, and we have to grow up real fast. I am not going to get into the specifics. When we do not do our job as one person, it is a reflection of the entire defense."
It was a major triumph for the Jets, who shrugged off the disappointment of their opening loss to the Baltimore Ravens despite the absence of starting QB Zach Wilson, with 15-year veteran Flacco flourishing in his stead.
"I don't know where it ranks, but it's up there," Flacco said. "And there were 22 seconds left so as much as you want to freak out and assume you have victory at that point, that's a lot of time. They had a timeout.
"You become a fan at that point, you become very nervous. When you come out on top, it adds to the excitement. It was a wild one, for sure."
The Jets had rookies Wilson and Breece Hall contribute three of their four touchdowns, offering belief for a side that finished the 2021 season with a 4-13 record.
"Those guys don’t blink anyway," Flacco said. "I think a lot of the time you're looking for the outcome to be in our favour before you can say those kinds of things.
"You're obviously not going to say those kinds of things about young guys when we're not winning games. That's why winning is so big, it allows those things to be so big."
