If we flash back almost two months ago, the Cleveland Browns were struggling mightily with no sense of direction at the quarterback position and the Cincinnati Bengals were looking for any sign of hope for the most important position, with Joe Burrow hurt and Jake Browning playing poorly. The Browns had already replaced veteran starter Joe Flacco with rookie Dillon Gabriel, with many wondering what Flacco’s future would hold.
The idea that Cleveland could receive any compensation for a quarterback that seemed to get very little interest in NFL free agency was received with skepticism, but Cincinnati came calling for Flacco.
The compensation wasn’t much (moving up one round in the 2026 NFL draft), but trading within the AFC North, especially at the quarterback position, raised some eyebrows, including statements from Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin.
“Thank you, Cleveland,” chants rained down when Flacco led the Bengals to a 33-31 victory over Tomlin’s Steelers on Thursday Night Football in just his second game with the team. The veteran QB connected on 31 of 47 passes for 342 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
It would also be the only game Flacco won as a starter in Cincinnati.
With Burrow returning for the Thanksgiving evening game (a Bengals victory, which helps the Browns very small playoff chances), Flacco is unlikely to start again this season unless their star quarterback gets hurt again. A proper time to revisit the trade.
In six starts for Cincinnati, Flacco’s stat line is:
For the season, in six starts, Gabriel’s stat line is:
Shedeur Sanders has played in two games, with one start, leading to the following stat line:
Since the Browns traded Flacco to the Bengals, Cleveland has won more games with less production from the quarterback position. Cincinnati is still two games out of the AFC North lead (as the Browns would be with a victory in Week 13) after knocking off the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. That one Flacco-led victory against Pittsburgh may have been just enough to keep them in the playoff hunt (despite currently holding a 4-8 record).
All in all, the Browns moved up one round in the 2026 NFL draft and still won more games than the Bengals since the Flacco trade. Cincinnati moved down a round in the draft, but Flacco helped them stay in some semblance of competitiveness while Burrow was gone. Flacco got to prove, once again, he can put up big numbers when getting a chance to start with some very talented pass catchers.
Seems like everyone got wanted out of the rare AFC North trade.