Joe Flacco receives one more chance to play with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins before an uncertain 2026 offseason unfolds
Joe Flacco is elite, and he’s a Pro Bowler now as well.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco can finally say he’s not only an elite QB, but a Pro Bowl QB as well.
Flacco was added to the AFC roster for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games Friday afternoon, his first-career nod for the NFL’s annual all-star event.
Cincinnati acquired Flacco from the Cleveland Browns via trade five weeks into his 18th year in the league and started him for six games while starter Joe Burrow was out with a turf toe injury. Flacco posted 1,636 passing yards and 13 touchdown passes in those six starts despite the Bengals only winning one of them. Including his four starts with the Browns, he threw for 2,479 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
It was a completely unique season for Flacco, who turned 41 years old earlier in January, and he will now join the Bengals’ top receivers next Tuesday in San Francisco, CA for his first-ever Pro Bowl. It may also be the final time he watches them catch his passes.
Joe Flacco’s Pro Bowl nod is a testament to Cincinnati’s star wideouts
Despite losing five out six games, Flacco starting for the Bengals became a national story in a positive way. He was just benched by one of the worst teams in the league after only four games, and it was entirely reasonable to think he would never start another game again.
Cincinnati’s desperation opened another door for Flacco, and he walked through it to see Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Flacco only needed a week to be on the same page as the Bengals’ franchise playmakers. Chase caught 16 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown in Flacco’s first game at Paycor Stadium a mere eight days after being traded. Higgins had a casual six receptions for 96 yards and a TD himself that evening when Cincy defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 33-31, on “Thursday Night Football.”
The Bengals knew they needed competency under center with Burrow sidelined, and Flacco provided that despite their defense failing in creative ways during his stretch of starts. Cincinnati ranked 32nd in EPA/play allowed and 31st in success rate allowed from Week 6-12.
Without being traded to lead a high-powered offense, Flacco does not earn his first Pro Bowl honor, alternate or not. Chase and Higgins are each Pro Bowlers as well, and they’ll get to play with Flacco at least once more before the 41-year old makes a decision on his future.
This could be Flacco’s last time representing the Bengals
Flacco was brought in as a temporary solution under center, but playing quality football with his new team paved the way for his first Pro Bowl nod, and it could bring him back to Cincinnati.
Flacco played on a one-year, $4.25 million contract in 2025, and due to his age, retirement could also be on the table. He’s keeping his options on the table, and a return to the Bengals is possible if the money is right.
If he out-priced himself due to his play, then it’s awesome for Flacco to suit up one last time with Chase and Higgins before free agency separates them for good. It could also be the last time Flacco ever steps onto a field as a player if he calls it a career 18 years after being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens back in 2008.
However things fall, Flacco will always be the seventh QB in Bengals history to be named a Pro Bowler.
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