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Browns' Joe Flacco says Bills' Damar Hamlin should win Comeback Player of the Year

Damar Hamlin hosts annual toy drive in McKees Rocks
Damar Hamlin hosts annual toy drive in McKees Rocks 00:39

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco believes Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin should win Comeback Player of the Year.

In a Friday appearance on CBS Sports Radio on the "Zach Gelb Show," Flacco said the NFL award should go to the McKees Rocks native. Flacco and Hamlin are among the finalists for the award.

"I don't necessarily know what I'm coming back from," Flacco told Gelb. "I would say most of the guys on that list, I'm not sure what we're coming back from. So, that's probably my initial reaction."

"I'm just coming back from being old and not being on a team for a couple months," Flacco added.

When asked if Hamlin should win the award, Flacco said, "For sure."

"Mentally to get yourself back to the point where you feel comfortable doing that kind of thing, and obviously the physical part, you don't need any explanation there. But I think mentally to get yourself ready to go back out there and feel good doing that, what we do, especially at his position, is pretty cool."

On Jan. 2, 2023, in a game last season against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hamlin went into cardiac arrest. He needed to be resuscitated on the field and was hospitalized for days.

He was cleared to resume playing in April 2023 and appeared in five games this season. 

Flacco started six games for the Browns, leading the team to the playoffs before a season-ending loss to the Houston Texans.

The other finalists for Comeback Player of the Year are Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

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