Joe Flacco gets traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in hopes of saving their season
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On Oct. 7, the Cleveland Browns traded quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals for a 5th round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Bengals were working with a three-game losing streak after starting Jake Browning over Joe Burrow due to a turf-toe injury.
Browning struggled since replacing Burrow, throwing eight interceptions during four games. He was also unable to get any touchdown points on the board during the game against the Denver Broncos. He was able to get at least one touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings and three against the Detroit Lions, but all those touchdowns were made only in the fourth quarter.
Flacco is an experienced 40-year-old quarterback who has played for 18 seasons with seven teams: the Baltimore Ravens, Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and now the Bengals. He led the Ravens to a Super Bowl win in 2013 and was named Super Bowl MVP for his performance. He was also named The Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year in 2023 with the Browns.
The Flacco trade is rare. In fact, this was the first trade between teams in the same division involving a quarterback since the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins in 2010. He is also the first quarterback to start for the Baltimore Ravens, Browns, and Bengals, all in the same AFC North Division. All he’s missing is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Browns brought Flacco back this season, hoping to provide veteran leadership to their quarterback room that included rookies: Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Before the trade, Flacco was benched in favor of Gabriel. When he was playing, he completed 58.1% of passes for 815 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions in four games. According to ESPN Research, for the 2025 season, Flacco ranks 31st among 32 qualifying quarterbacks in the total quarterback ranking.
His Bengals debut on Sunday was against the Green Bay Packers, losing 18-27. Flacco threw 219 yards for two touchdowns, even getting a two-point conversion.
This game included a lot of pressure for Flacco. He was traded to the Bengals on Tuesday and started for them Sunday afternoon. This meant that he had to learn Cincinnati’s plays and get comfortable playing for them in five days. Flacco has also already beaten the Packers this season when he was playing for the Browns on Sept. 21, beating them 13-10. Cincinnati was hoping that he could do it again for them. If he did beat them, he would have been the second quarterback in the history of the NFL to beat the same team twice in one season on two different teams.
During the game, the Bengals’ offense didn’t start out great, ending the first half 0-10, but was able to get some momentum during the second half, running for 78 yards. Even though Flacco couldn’t beat the Packers a second time, you could tell that the Bengals offense looked a lot better. He was also able to establish connections with the offense, giving wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase 10 receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown, and wide receiver Tee Higgins five catches for 62 yards.Bengals’
Even though they did lose, having Flacco on the team gives players, coaches, and fans a glimmer of hope to save their season. They’re also hoping that with this trade, the Bengals will have a chance against the Steelers on Oct. 16 for Thursday Night Football.
The Bengals vs Steelers game is an AFC North Rival matchup with the two oldest active quarterbacks playing against each other. Aaron Rodgers, the 41-year-old quarterback for the Steelers, was able to pass for 235 yards with two touchdowns in his last game against the Browns.
Right now, the Bengals are going in as the underdogs against the Steelers at a 5.5-point favorite lead. Watching Flacco on Thursday is going to be exciting, but it is also going to play a factor in deciding whether the trade is really going to save the Bengals’ season or not.
Week Seven Predictions:
Thursday Game: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals: Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday Games: Los Angeles Rams at Jacksonville Jaguars: Los Angeles Rams
Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings: Philadelphia Eagles
New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans: New England Patriots
Carolina Panthers at New York Jets: Carolina Panthers
Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns: Cleveland Browns
New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears: Chicago Bears
Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs: Kansas City Chiefs
Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Chargers: Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants at Denver Broncos: Denver Broncos
Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals: Green Bay Packers
Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys: Washington Commanders
Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers: San Francisco 49ers
Monday Games: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions: Detroit Lions
Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks: Seattle Seahawks
