Bengals put their money where their mouth is like never before to re-sign Joe Flacco as Joe Burrow’s backup
Joe Flacco is signing a contract the Cincinnati Bengals haven’t offered a backup quarterback in recent history.
The Cincinnati Bengals are re-signing quarterback Joe Flacco.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Flacco is getting a one-year, $6 million deal that can be elevated to $9 million if he reaches incentives.
Flacco was traded to Cincinnati in the middle of last season a couple weeks after Joe Burrow suffered what was feared as a potentially season-ending turf toe injury. The Bengals gave up their fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to receive Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick in return from the Cleveland Browns.
At 40 years old with virtually no time to waste, Flacco started six games for Cincinnati and threw for 1,636 yards and 13 touchdowns during those six contests. The Bengals were only victorious for one game with Flacco under center, but he proved to be a much better replacement for Burrow than Jake Browning.
Re-signing Flacco was a priority for Cincy, and achieving it was a matter of whether or not the former Super Bowl MVP had more enticing opportunities elsewhere to actually start. Reports said he would “strongly consider” returning to the club that traded for him last year.
Flacco is back, and when looking at the money involved, the Bengals really did want this to happen.
Joe Flacco is more expensive than any Bengals backup quarterback in recent memory
Paying a premium for a backup QB has never been Cincinnati’s mantra. $6 million for one year may be relatively manageable for most contracts you’ll hear about, but for the Bengals, it’s a pretty big deal for a QB2.
$6 million is the largest Average Annual Value (AAV) Cincinnati has committed to a backup QB this century when looking at OverTheCap.com’s contract history. There hasn’t been a backup QB to make over $2 million per year for the Bengals in recent memory.
Matt Barkley signed a two-year, $3.35 million deal ($1.675 million AAV) to backup Andy Dalton in 2018. Jason Campbell signed for $1.5 million for the same gig in 2014. Brandon Allen inked back-to-back one-year, $1.5 million deals in 2021 and 2022 to be Burrow’s backup.
Browning’s largest deal to back up Burrow paid him $972,000 per year from 2024-25. Flacco’s deal blows that out of the water, relatively speaking, and it comes after Josh Johnson signed for $1.5 million earlier in the month.
Flacco is now tied with Jarrett Stidham of the Denver Broncos as the fourth highest-paid veteran backup QB in the NFL. Davis Mills of the Houston Texans and Marcus Mariota of the Washington Commanders each signed for $7 million this year, and Jacoby Brissett of the Arizona Cardinals has an AAV of $6.25 million. Justin Fields’ contract with the Kansas City Chiefs has a listed value of $11 million, but he’s only being paid $3 million this season.
Should Burrow, who’s dealt with multiple injuries going back to 2023, miss more time in 2026, Flacco will have the chance to out-earn them all thanks to the Bengals paying him like no backup QB in their history.