News broke on Thursday that the San Francisco 49ers were hosting quarterback Joe Flacco on a visit. The team is considering him to be a veteran backup for Jimmy Garoppolo, who missed 10 games last season due to injuries. Flacco spent 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before spending a season each with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets over the past two years.
Could San Francisco be Flacco's final stop in his NFL career? He has a great deal of experience. He's won a Super Bowl — sadly, against the 49ers — and was named the MVP of the game.
One former teammate, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, is hopeful that a reunion with Flacco might be in the making. He even admits to doing a little recruiting on behalf of the 49ers and says Flacco is excited about the idea of playing for Kyle Shanahan.
"I talked to Joe yesterday," Juszczyk said on Friday during an interview on 95.7 The Game's The Morning Roast. "He's been adamant for a little while that he'd love to come play in San Francisco, and I would love to have him. I think he would be the perfect mentor for Jimmy. He's familiar with the system. He's played in Gary Kubiak's system with the Ravens. He was with (49ers quarterbacks coach) Rich Scangarello in Denver.
"So, very familiar, would fit in just perfectly with this locker room. And I think it would be great to have somebody with his experience, a guy who's won a Super Bowl, a guy who can be a leader. If something unfortunate were to happen to Jimmy, and he were to go down, I think Joe can step in there and win us games."
Juszczyk has confidence in whatever decision head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch come to. However, he feels Flacco could be the backup answer San Francisco has sought.
Flacco appeared in five games with four starts last season, completing 55.2 percent of his passes for 864 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions with a talent-deprived Jets roster. He was 0-4 in those starts. If called to play, Flacco might be more successful on a more talented 49ers roster.
"I think he's the perfect fit for a backup quarterback," Juszczyk added. "But if we don't get him, I know that Kyle and John, I've got all the trust in the world that they'll find the right guy to fill that position."