Joe Flacco signed a mega-extension on Wednesday that makes him the highest-paid player in the history of the NFL. A day later, feeling quite good about having locked up their quarterback for the long term, the Ravens tweeted out a scathing message on social media targeting Sam Bradford and Kirk Cousins.
Newsome: “Joe is our QB and we’re proud to say that. Teams struggle with the QB position.”https://t.co/yv3AzzK56n pic.twitter.com/DTxBGflZe2
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) March 3, 2016
Philly didn’t bother responding on Twitter, but Washington wasn’t about to take the dig lying down.
.@ravens pic.twitter.com/HlVJZfnHrQ
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) March 3, 2016
Both Bradford and Cousins signed contracts of their own recently. Bradford landed a two-year deal that could pay up to $20 million per season, while Cousins signed his franchise tender for the 2016 season, which pays him almost $20 million.
Both quarterbacks could be considered “average,” as former wide receiver Donte Stallworth described Bradford after his two-year deal was announced.
Meanwhile, Flacco has been called “elite” at times, and considering his overall career record (75-47) and Super Bowl ring, it’s hard to argue against that point these days — Baltimore’s past season of misery notwithstanding.
For what it’s worth, the Ravens did apologize for their overt slam.
@Redskins Our bad. Ozzie didn't criticize. We should have used pictures of Joe.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) March 3, 2016
While it’s true general manager Ozzie Newsome “didn’t criticize” specific teams, it is safe to say he’s feeling pretty good about having a franchise passer while many other teams continue to flounder in this regard.
Both Bradford and Cousins showed some promise last year in the latter stages of the season. Whether or not they can perform in the long term at a high level certainly remains to be seen.