wilsonmvp.png
Getty Images

Only four quarterbacks in NFL history have ever beaten all 32 teams, but that list could be adding one more player before the end of the season. In a highly improbable turn of events, Joe Flacco could be the next quarterback to accomplish the feat.  

Over the course of his career, Flacco has beaten 30 of the NFL's 32 teams and with the Jets quarterback in a backup role heading into the 2022 season, it looked like the number was going to stay there. However, with Zach Wilson out until at least Week 4 due to a knee injury, Flacco will have a chance to take one step closer to beating all 32 teams. 

In 2022, the Jets will be playing the two teams that Flacco has yet to beat: the Ravens and the Seahawks

Flacco has already been named the starter for the Jets' opener against the Ravens, which means by the end of Week 1, he could become just the ninth quarterback to have beaten 31 teams. 

The Jets will then travel to Seattle on New Year's Day and that's when Flacco could have a chance to join the exclusive club of quarterbacks to have beaten all 32 teams. Although Wilson will be getting his starting job back when he returns from injury, it's completely possible that Flacco could once again be under center for that Week 17 game against the Seahawks if the Jets are hopelessly out of the playoff race or if Wilson aggravates the injury to his knee at some point in the season. 

If Flacco can beat the Ravens and Seahawks this year, he'll join Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks in NFL history who have beaten all 32 teams (Joe Montana and Fran Tarkenton are also kind of in the club. Even though they haven't beaten 32 teams, they did get at least one win against all 28 teams that were in existence during their careers).  

Beating all 32 teams is one of the most exclusive clubs that a quarterback can join, and Flacco would almost certainly be the most improbable member of the club. Flacco has only started 13 games over the past three years and he's 2-11 in those games. 

One thing all five quarterbacks have in common, though, is that they all won at least one Super Bowl. 

The one notable aspect of Flacco joining the club is that he would be the youngest player to ever gain membership. Flacco is 37 and doesn't turn 38 until Jan. 16. The Seahawks game is on Jan. 1, which means Flacco would still be 37, which is important because the youngest quarterback to join the club was Manning, who did it at age 38. Brady didn't join the club until last season, when he beat the Patriots at age 44 to complete the 32-team gauntlet. 

The crazy thing about 2022 is that If Flacco does join the exclusive club, he might actually be the second quarterback to do it. Russell Wilson also has a chance to take down all 32 teams. Wilson only has two teams left to beat (Seahawks, Chargers) and the Broncos play both of them this year. With the Seahawks in Week 1 and the Chargers in Week 6, Wilson could have all 32 teams beaten by Halloween. 

If Flacco and Wilson both hit the mark this year, it could be a while before we see anyone else join the list. As things currently stand, there's only one active quarterback who's beaten 31 of the league's 32 teams and that's Aaron Rodgers. The only way Rodgers can hit 32 is if he somehow finds a way to beat the Packers, which isn't going to happen as long as he's in Green Bay. 

Wilson, Rodgers and Flacco are the only three active quarterbacks who have beaten at least 30 teams. Over the past two years, we've seen two quarterbacks -- Alex Smith and Ben Roethlisberger -- retire after beating 31 of the NFL's 32 teams. Smith had yet to beat the Chiefs and Big Ben never beat the Steelers

Matthew Stafford could beat his 30th career team on Thursday night if the Rams beat the Bills in the NFL opener. At that point, Stafford would just need to beat the Titans and Steelers to get to 32 teams. Colts quarterback Matt Ryan could push his total to 31 teams this season. Ryan has never beaten the Falcons, Patriots or Steelers and he'll be playing the two AFC teams on that list this season. 

Ryan Tannehill could also end the season with 31 teams checked off his list. Tannehill has never beaten the Panthers, Cowboys, Packers or Giants. This season, Tennessee will play all of those teams except for the Panthers. 

Kirk Cousins could also get up to 30 teams beaten if he takes down the Colts and Patriots this season. At that point, he'd just need to beat the Chiefs and Bengals to get to 32. 

You can see which quarterbacks have beaten the most teams by clicking here and heading over to Pro Football Reference.com.