Flacco, Sanders excited to be first-time Pro Bowlers

SAN FRANCISCO — During his 18-year NFL career, quarterback Joe Flacco has done just about everything.

He has won a Super Bowl, won Super Bowl MVP, won the 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year, started for three-quarters of the AFC North teams and played in 209 career games.

However, until last week, there was one thing Flacco hadn’t experienced: the Pro Bowl.

But after 18 seasons, the 41-year-old got the call he was waiting for when he was named to the NFL All-Star Game as the backup quarterback for the AFC team, which faces the NFC on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN).

“[Bengals coach] Zac [Taylor] “I don’t think it’s a goal you really think about, but it’s definitely something you look back on and want.”

Flacco is one of 29 new Pro Bowlers for the game, but according to Elias Sports Information Bureau, no one in league history has had to wait as long as Flacco for his first Pro Bowl selection.

For most of his career, Flacco has faced stiff competition in the AFC, with players like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning claiming at least two quarterback spots. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Chargers signal-caller Philip Rivers also made it difficult. Although Flacco’s Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII in a game in which Flacco earned game MVP honors, Manning and Brady beat him out for Pro Bowl berths.

“I always wanted to be one of those three guys that just got elected,” Flacco said. “I try to tell people that Tom and Peyton kept these positions locked down – at least two of them – for a very long time.”

Flacco earned a spot as a replacement after three AFC quarterbacks named on the initial roster either couldn’t play or opted out. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is not participating because he is playing in Super Bowl LX (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, NBC), while Josh Allen and Justin Herbert are nursing season-ending injuries.

Flacco was the second AFC backup quarterback named to the list after former Cleveland Browns teammate Shedeur Sanders, who was 6 years old in 2008 when Flacco was drafted 18th overall by the Baltimore Ravens, got the call a few days earlier. Another Flacco teammate, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who was 12 years old when the veteran entered the league, was also named to the Pro Bowl as a final backup.

Sanders, who earned his first Pro Bowl nod on the heels of his rookie season, didn’t miss an opportunity to take a playful jab at Flacco before Monday’s practice.

“I’ve already acquired it,” Sanders said, responding to a question about what he hoped to gain from the Pro Bowl experience. “I talked to a lot of great players, Shoot and Joe Flacco, again, in the same sweatpants he wore in practice, everything.”

Although the nod came later than Flacco would have liked, for Flacco the timing of being named to his first Pro Bowl means his children, four sons and a daughter ages 7 to 13, are especially excited about the experience.

“I think it’s really cool at this point, because I have some boys who are very interested in being here and being around all this, so it’s a lot of fun,” Flacco said.

Like Flacco, Denver Broncos offensive lineman Garett Bolles is a first-time Pro Bowler, although the 2017 first-round pick only waited half as long as the quarterback to get the call.

“I didn’t start my career the way I wanted to, but I’m finishing it the way I want to, and that’s just the most important thing,” Bolles said. “I have a quote: It doesn’t matter how you start, it matters how you finish. So you have to keep working, you have to keep working. Eventually your name is called.”

And like Flacco, Bolles said he enjoyed the moment of selection because of the opportunity to create memories with his child.

“He’s at that age where he loves it,” Bolles said of his 9-year-old son Kingston. “Having them here and accepting it – and he loves getting all the gifts. So he’s excited to be here and be with all the guys, but he loves football and having my son know what daddy is doing and loving him and being my buddy, it’s amazing.”

Before Sunday’s practice, Bolles threw passes to Kingston, who was just 4 months old when Bolles was drafted by the Broncos, in the end zone. Laughing, Kingston gathered the ball and ran away from his father, weaving between other Pro Bowlers scattered around the field.

“It’s great to have my kids here and my wife,” Bolles said. “Being here with him and letting him enjoy it, running around with all the guys. All the guys are so nice and nice to him. He knows everyone. He always says, ‘Oh, that’s Jonathan Taylor for the Colts.’ So he knows all the numbers, he knows all the guys. So it’s funny that he appreciates what dad does and gets to be here with him. He will remember it all his life.”