Remember when you made fun of Joe Flacco after he said he was the best quarterback in the NFL last April? Like so many times over the past two years, Flacco had the last laugh. Except this time, he's laughing all the way to the bank. Flacco became the highest-paid player in NFL history when he agreed to a six-year, $120.6 million contract Friday, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Did the Ravens overpay him? Certainly. Should Flacco get paid more than Tom Brady and Peyton Manning? No way. But those questions are really irrelevant when it comes to contracts in the NFL, which is all about timing. When Flacco hoisted up the Lombardi Trophy 26 days ago, he essentially had the Ravens in the palm of his hand as well in terms of leverage. Flacco put the Ravens in a situation where they were forced to do everything in their power to sign the Super Bowl MVP, and he made them pay handsomely to do so. Don't criticize the Ravens for giving a lottery jackpot to a quarterback who has never been to a Pro Bowl. Instead, you should applaud Flacco for earning it by playing his best when it mattered the most. He really did put his money where his mouth is. Flacco could've played it safe by signing a deal worth $16 million per year before this season. But Flacco gambled on himself and the rest is Super Bowl -- and NFL contract -- history. http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/66304/joe-flacco-earned-his-history-making-deal