Joe Flacco sends a harsh message to NFL teams who forgot about him during free agency after re-signing with the Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals officially have a motivated backup quarterback for Joe Burrow.
Joe Flacco wanted to sign with an NFL team as a starting quarterback.
He re-signed with the Cincinnati Bengals to be Joe Burrow’s backup.
Flacco would not have come back to Cincinnati if he didn’t like being with the Bengals for the three months he was in the locker room. The club could not have brought him back without paying him like one of the top backup passers in the league.
But Flacco is a competitor who still wholeheartedly believes he can start for a team, and he did not hold back that belief in his press conference Wednesday morning when asked about other veteran QBs getting starting gigs in free agency.
“I think I can get caught up in all that and say, ‘Why not me?’ and all that, and be bitter about it, and listen, maybe part of that does motivate me to still do what I’m doing,” Flacco told reporters after inking his deal. “I probably do feel that way. I feel like I have unfinished business.”
And he wants to make that business every other team’s problem.
The NFL just gave Joe Flacco strong motivation
The QB carousel left Flacco in the queue this year. Geno Smith was traded to the New York Jets. Kyler Murray signed with the Minnesota Vikings. Gardner Minshew signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Tua Tagovailoa signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
Flacco’s options to start were virtually eliminated within the first two weeks of free agency. The 41-year old who played much better than expected after arriving in Cincy on short notice in the middle of last season hoped to leverage the end of his 2025 season into another chance to lead a team.
Not getting that chance has him feeling a certain way.
“That’s part of why I’m still here and playing and doing all those things and not being one of those guys to go sign somewhere. It pisses me off a little bit, but at the same time, I’m happy to be here, and that’s also why I don’t see this as the end. That’s just not how I’m viewing it in my mind, like I feel like I can help a team win. And yeah, it may be in a different role here, but I do still think I can help this team win in that role.
“I had a lot of fun with Joe [Burrow], and Joe’s the guy,” Flacco continued. “And believe me, I wish I was a guy somewhere, and I think teams are dumb for not having me be that guy. But it is what it is, and I’m not going to let me let them or it get me down. I’m going to be the person I am and just approach football the way I always have.”
Flacco started six games for Cincinnati and threw for 1,636 yards and 13 touchdowns during those six contests. Having Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins was a blessing, but the former Super Bowl MVP, who was benched by the Cleveland Browns prior to being traded for a Day 3 pick swap, proved he still had plenty in the tank.
It was still not enough for a QB-needy team to give him a shot.
Flacco may not get a chance to play real snaps in 2026 if Burrow stays healthy, but the face of the franchise has had two major injuries since 2023. It’s not a given Flacco will be on the bench for the entirety of the season.
It wouldn’t be great for Bengals, but if that time comes, best believe Flacco will be ready to prove the rest of the league wrong for casting him aside.
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