Steve Young: Joe Flacco deserves historic contract

Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young says reigning Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco is deserving of being rewarded with the most lucrative contract in league history based on winning his all-in bet on himself with the postseason quarterback equivalent of "The Holy Grail.''

The six-year contract is worth $120.6 million. USA TODAY Sports learned the value of the contract from a person with knowledge of the negotiations. That person requested anonymity because the contract has not been signed and details of the pact have not been made public by Flacco's representatives or the Ravens.

Flacco, the Super Bowl MVP, capped his postseason with a three-touchdown performance to lead the Baltimore Ravens to a 34-31 victory over Young's former team, the San Francisco 49ers.

All this, after Flacco walked away from a lesser deal last off-season, opting to gamble that his 2012-13 season would drive up his price. He was right.

"Joe is worth this deal because he did it when it mattered,'' Young, an ESPN analyst, told USA TODAY Sports just minutes after the agreement was announced by the Ravens.

"So did Eli Manning do it when it mattered -- and all the great ones do it when it matters. To play perfect football in January and February is the Holy Grail for a quarterback, right? That's the place.

"When Joe Flacco threw 11 touchdowns with no interceptions in January and Feburary and won the Super Bowl, that's why the Ravens had no choice but to pay him what they did.''

Flacco, who called himself elite before the season began, may not be on the same level as three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady or four-time league MVP and Super Bowl XLI MVP Peyton Manning in terms of a long-term body of work. But at 28, Flacco has put himself on the right path to potentially match their ultra-exclusive company. And that bright future is what the Ravens bought for their money, Young said.

"Has Joe been as consistent as Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? Not yet,'' Young said. "But the Ravens are paying him not for what he's done in the past. They're paying him for what they believe he'll do. And what they believe he'll do is play just like those guys, Tom and Peyton. Now he hasn't played like them consistently. But the idea is he's turned the corner. And now he will.''

Flacco etched his name in immortality alongside Young's former 49ers teammate Joe Montana with a postseason for the ages. He matched the perfect touchdown-to-interception ratio "Joe Cool'' posted during the 1989 postseason, when Montana led the 49ers to their third title in a Super Bowl XXIII win over Cincinnati.

"The way that it happened this postseason was a great, great thing for Joe and his family,'' Young said.

Flacco's 62-30 win-loss record ranks best in the league since the Ravens selected him 18th overall out of Delaware in the 2008 draft.

Flacco insisted before the season began he was the league's best quarterback when he advised agent Joe Linta to table an offer in the $16-million-per-year range.

Now Flacco has the long-term lucrative contract to back up his boast.

"It looked like it was a bad bet there on himself back in October,'' Young said. "But then Joe did exactly what he needed to do. He was the Super Bowl MVP, won the whole thing. That's how you earn that kind of contract.

"All the credit goes to Joe for pulling it off right when he needed to do it. It's not like he was lucky. There's some timing to it.''

That great timing means the Ravens have resolved their most pressing offseason priority and don't have to apply the $19-plus million exclusive franchise tag to Flacco by Monday's 4 p.m. deadline. They can now pursue other unrestricted free agents in linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, defensive end Paul Kruger, cornerback Cary Williams, safety Ed Reed and others among their 12 remaining unrestricted free agents.

"I'm glad they got it done,'' Young said.