Joe Flacco set to leave Baltimore Ravens in NFL offseason

Baltimore Ravens will release or trade quarterback Joe Flacco in the offseason, according to reports.

Rookie Lamar Jackson stepped in for the injured Flacco during the past four weeks and Ravens coach John Harbaugh confirmed he would start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, even though Flacco had recovered from a hip problem and was available for selection.

It's the first time in his 11-year career that Flacco has been classed as the backup quarterback.

Flacco has completed 61.2 per cent of his passes for 2,465 yards this season, with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. The Ravens were 4-5 when Flacco went down injured. Now, with a 4-1 record under Jackson, they are knocking on the door of a playoff berth.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Flacco, who turns 34 in January, is scheduled to make $18.5million [£14.6m] next season.

He added Baltimore could release him and let him become a free agent, or they could try to trade him to a team of his choosing.

Several teams will be in the starting quarterback market and could have interest in Flacco. The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to move on from Blake Bortles, the quarterback situation could be unsettled in places such as Tampa Bay, and there could be a starting spot available in Washington if Alex Smith isn't able to come back from a devastating leg injury.

The New York Giants might not be a team in the market for Flacco though, as there Rapoport also reported that veteran quarterback Eli Manning could be playing his way onto next season's roster as his form has improved down the stretch.

"He is, from what I understand, playing his way onto the roster in 2019," Rapoport said. "Sources I talked to were adamant no decision has been made firmly.

"This is an offseason situation. But the way he has been playing, the way he has held up certainly opens up the possibility that he is back in 2019; something which if you talked about earlier in the season, we all would've thought you were crazy."