Joe Flacco
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Joe Flacco is open to re-signing with the Bengals in free agency, but only if he doesn't land a better opportunity elsewhere
The Cincinnati Bengals are entering the offseason in a spot that has become far too similar over the past few years. After missing the playoffs once again, the Bengals are looking to revamp their roster so that they can make a proper Super Bowl run with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins leading the way on offense.
The main problem for Cincinnati over the past few years is that it simply hasn’t been able to keep Burrow, Chase, and Higgins on the field at the same time. Last season, Burrow missed more than half the year with a turf toe injury, prompting the team to swing a trade with the Cleveland Browns for Joe Flacco. Now, Flacco is set to hit the open market, and his plan for free agency will surely catch the Bengals’ attention.
Joe Flacco Open to Re-Signing with the Bengals, but There’s a Catch
Tom Pelissero
Veteran QB Joe Flacco, who will be a free agent Monday, wants an opportunity to at least compete for a starting job. But if he’s a backup, sources say, Flacco would strongly consider a return to Cincinnati, where he filled in for Joe Burrow last fall and made his first Pro Bowl.
Flacco just completed his 18th season in the NFL, and it somehow ended up being the first Pro Bowl campaign of his career. It certainly wasn’t the best season of Flacco’s career (251/416, 2.479 YDS, 15 TD, 10 INT), but he proved that he can still lead an offense when he is called upon, even as he enters his 40s.
Moving forward, the Bengals are obviously going to roll with Burrow as their starting quarterback when he’s healthy. Given how much better Flacco was than Jake Browning in Burrow’s absence, though, Cincy seems open to keeping the veteran passer in town. However, it will have to contend with 31 other teams, as Flacco is set to hit the open market.
Retirement is obviously an option for Flacco at this stage of the game, but he’s intent on returning for at least one more season. In a perfect world, Flacco would reportedly like to at least have the opportunity to compete for a starting job. However, if that doesn’t materialize, he’s open to returning to the Bengals as Burrow’s backup.
“Veteran QB Joe Flacco, who will be a free agent Monday, wants an opportunity to at least compete for a starting job,” Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported in a post on X. “But if he’s a backup, sources say, Flacco would strongly consider a return to Cincinnati, where he filled in for Joe Burrow last fall and made his first Pro Bowl.”
Bengals Hoping to Be Able to Re-Sign Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco Cincinnati Bengals Pittsburgh Steelers
GettyJoe Flacco #16 of the Cincinnati Bengals
Flacco is pretty much everything you could hope for in a backup quarterback. At 41 years old, he has a wealth of experience that makes him a guy other quarterbacks on the roster can lean on throughout the course of the season. More importantly, though, is the fact that Flacco can still sling the football when he’s called into action.
Whether or not Flacco will receive the sort of opportunity he’s looking for in free agency is unknown. There’s set to be quite a bit of turnover on the quarterback market this offseason, and while that could present opportunities for Flacco, there are also a handful of younger guys that he will be competing with for those openings. It’s clear, though, that the Bengals are hoping Flacco finds his way back to them, or else they will have to work on finding a replacement for him.