The Cincinnati Bengals have a chance to compete for the playoffs and eventually the Super Bowl anytime that Joe Burrow is healthy and on the field. But last season, Burrow missed a large chunk of the season after undergoing toe surgery early in the year.
With Jake Browning struggling, the Bengals turned to the trade block and swung a deal for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco looked good in Cincinnati, though the team didn't win many games with the veteran under center. Still, it wasn't Flacco to blame, which is one of the reasons he's quickly become such a fan favorite.
But Flacco is a free agent this offseason and he's expected to leave town.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic recently put together predictions for each quarterback room in the NFL. Rosenblatt predicted that Flacco would leave the Bengals and sign a deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
Joe Flacco could be the veteran QB the Vikings pursue
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacc
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) heads for the locker room after the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 14 game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. The Bills overcame a halftime deficit to win 39-34. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
"Flacco makes some sense as a fallback option. He showed last season in Cincinnati that he’s still capable of leading an offense: He threw for 13 touchdowns and four interceptions in nine games," Rosenblatt wrote. "He’s a good veteran presence to have in any quarterback room, especially one with two young quarterbacks, and he’s looking for an opportunity to at least compete to start — which he’d get in Minnesota. Also, according to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, Flacco was 'very much in play' for Minnesota last season before it settled on Carson Wentz — who shouldn’t be ruled out entirely as an option either, by the way."
Flacco would be fun to keep as a backup in Cincinnati, but the veteran quarterback is seemingly looking for a chance to fight for a starting job. It wouldn't come with the Bengals, as nobody could take that job from Burrow.
But if Flacco was in a room with McCarthy and Richardson, he could very quickly become the starting quarterback. Check out the full article from Rosenblatt here.
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