Deshaun Watson didn’t have a vote but the Cleveland Browns quarterback would have put Damar Hamlin over his fill-in Joe Flacco for Comeback Player of the Year.
Watson and his co-host Quincy Avery debated the NFL awards on their show “QB Unplugged” on Thursday ahead of the official announcements. Both voiced that they did not know the criteria for the Comeback Player of the Year but would have put Hamlin over Flacco.
“[Hamlin] had the real comeback. He was dead. He died and rose from the dead,” Avery said. “That’s a redemption story. Could it be Joe Flacco — sure. Could it be Baker Mayfield? In different years, I think either of those guys would be a great fit.”
Watson agreed with Avery that Hamlin should be the winner.
“For sure,” Watson said of picking Hamlin. “To be able to play the next season is crazy.”
The duo’s prediction proved wrong, with Flacco taking home the hardware in an upset. He narrowly won over Hamlin, 151-140, though the sparingly used Buffalo Bills safety had 21 first-place votes to Flacco’s 13. Former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield — who had a resurgent season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — finished third.
Browns QB Joe Flacco Also Backed Damar Hamlin as Winner
It was a bit of an awkward category for Watson to weigh in on. Flacco’s strong play leading the Browns’ offense ignited some criticism of Watson. In addition to that, Mayfield was Watson’s predecessor in Cleveland.
In Watson’s defense, even Flacco thought Hamlin should have been the winner of the award.
“I’m just coming back from being old and not being on a team for a couple of months,” Flacco said in January during an interview with CBS Sports. “I just think mentally to get yourself back to the point where you feel comfortable doing that kind of thing, obviously the physical part doesn’t need any explanation, but the mental part, especially at his position, is pretty cool.”
Watson did back his Browns in the other three categories members of the organization were nominated in. He had Kevin Stefanski winning Coach of the Year, Myles Garrett hauling in Defensive Player of the Year and Jim Schwartz being named Assistant Coach of the Year. All those came to fruition and the Browns went home with lots of hardware.
Joe Flacco Thanks Browns Teammates in Speech
Flacco came into a tough situation but provided a spark for the Browns’ offense in the regular season. The Browns went 4-1 in his starts and he passed for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Flacco was a strong locker-room presence while in Cleveland. He made sure to acknowledge all the people in the building while accepting his award.
“First of all I just want to congratulate all you other nominees and winners here tonight. Such a special group of men. I’m honored to be up here to be able to enjoy it all with you guys,” Flacco said on stage. “Big thanks to the city of Cleveland and everybody in Cleveland. I want to say thank you to my teammates for welcoming me into the locker room at that point in the year. To welcome a new guy is not the easiest thing, so I want to say thank you to those guys. I want to say thank you to the organization for giving me the opportunity to do what I love to do, which is to play football.”
There’s a chance that Flacco could be back in Cleveland next season to sit behind Watson. It will depend on how free agency unfolds for the 39-year-old Flacco and if there’s a potential starting gig for him somewhere.
