The Cincinnati Bengals have traded for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns to address their quarterback crisis after Joe Burrow’s injury.
According to NFL Network reporters Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the Bengals (2-3) are trading a fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft to the Cleveland Browns for quarterback Joe Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round selection. Also, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and confirmed by NJ Advance Media, this is the first official trade involving a player between both teams since the Browns returned in 1999.
Flacco, who signed a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Browns this offseason, started four games for them in his second stint with the team, completing 58.1% of his passes for 815 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions. The Bengals felt the need to make the move after Burrow was placed on injured reserve because of a Grade 3 turf toe following their Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The timetable for Burrow to recover was reportedly three months, meaning that he may not be ready to return until December, if at all.
Jake Browning, who has backed up Burrow since the 2023 season, has struggled with turnovers, throwing eight interceptions in the three games he has played, contributing to the Bengals going 0-3 with him as a starter. The Bengals are also 32nd in the league in total offense, averaging only 228.6 yards per game.
Flacco will get a chance to play with better offensive weapons, going from Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and running back Quinshon Judkins to Bengals wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who are one of the top duos at their position in the league. Because Flacco has been in the league for a long time, he may not take as long to learn Bengals head coach and offensive play-caller Zac Taylor’s offense.
The timing of when Flacco will start is also uncertain. The Bengals will be on the road Sunday against the Green Bay Packers but will have a short week to prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the game being Thursday night. The Bengals could use the extended break after the Steelers game to give Flacco time to prepare Flacco and integrate him into the offense, giving him a chance to start on Oct. 26 against the Jets.
The Browns felt comfortable enough to make the trade after seeing rookie Dillon Gabriel, whom the Browns selected in the third round of this year’s draft, play efficiently in his first NFL regular-season start in the 21-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in London, throwing for 190 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The move positions Gabriel as the clear starter for the foreseeable future, allowing him to gain necessary experience as a young player.
The trade sets the stage for Shedeur Sanders to be promoted as Gabriel’s backup. Sanders, whom the Browns took in the fifth round of this year’s draft, has voiced his desire to get playing time and competed with Gabriel and Flacco for the starting job in training camp. Flacco was ultimately named the starter, with Gabriel being the backup and Sanders assuming the emergency quarterback role.
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