Quarterback Joe Flacco‘s second stint in Cleveland ended when the Browns surprisingly traded him to AFC North rival Cincinnati on Tuesday. Flacco did not request a trade, but he did welcome the move and a chance at more playing time, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
After spending last season with the Colts, Flacco rejoined the Browns on a one-year contract last April. That came after the Browns acquired fellow veteran signal-caller Kenny Pickett in a trade with the Eagles. Continuing a makeover of their QB room, the Browns went on to select Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the draft.
With Gabriel and Sanders around as developmental prospects, Flacco and Pickett entered training camp as the front-runners to earn the starting job. Flacco ultimately won the role with ease after Pickett suffered a hamstring injury early in the summer. The Browns wound up trading Pickett to the Raiders in late August, leaving Flacco as the veteran mentor to the two rookies.
At 40 years old, Flacco was never expected to be anything more than a Band-Aid for the Browns. The team pulled the plug on Flacco earlier than expected, though, after he threw two touchdowns against six interceptions during a 1-3 start. Gabriel took over as the starter before last Sunday’s 21-17 loss to the Vikings.
The left-handed Gabriel went without a turnover in his debut and completed 19 of 33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. It may be a long shot, but he’ll have a chance to establish himself as the Browns’ long-term starter. Either Sanders or practice squad QB Bailey Zappe could back up Gabriel against the Steelers on Sunday.
Flacco is again in a stopgap role in Cincinnati, but he is joining a talented offense that includes a few high-end weapons, including wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. He could start as early as this week against Green Bay in place of Jake Browning, whose poor performance filling in for the injured Joe Burrow necessitated a QB trade. The 2-3 Bengals suffered three straight ugly losses under Browning, who has matched Flacco’s INT total (eight, with six TDs) this season. Flacco led the Browns to their only 2025 victory — over the Packers — in Week 3.
Thanks to Browning’s immense struggles, the Bengals discussed “several” different signal-callers over the past 48 hours, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. The Bengals ended up swinging a deal with their in-state rivals for Flacco, who they hope will play well enough to keep them alive in the AFC North race.