Ravens GM: Flacco decision won't come before March

New Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has been in his position just a few weeks, and already he's facing tough decisions that will affect the future of the franchise. First among them is just how to cut ties with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, and in a news conference Wednesday, DeCosta said it still be a while before that question is answered.

"I think that's an ongoing process," DeCosta said. "The new league year starts in March. We'll have a lot of new ideas, strategies, things that we'll look at once March rolls around. "Right now, we're really focused on the draft and our free agency meetings which will start to take place over the next few weeks. We have discussed Joe. We've discussed a lot of players on the team. I think when the time comes for us to make a decision one way or the other, we will have a plan in place."

One option to benefit the roster would be to trade Flacco and receive players or draft picks in return. Flacco, 34, led the Ravens to a Super Bowl championship in 2013 and has been the starter since 2008. But when an injury in 2018 sent Flacco to the sidelines after Week 9, rookie Lamar Jackson took over and didn't relinquish the role.

The Ravens were 4-5 when Flacco went out; Jackson led them to a 6-1 record and the AFC North title the rest of the way. In his Baltimore career, Flacco has completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 38,245 yards and 212 touchdowns.

In March 2016, he signed a three-year, $66.4 million contract extension that runs through the 2021 season. --Field Level Media