Report: Cincinnati Bengals trading for veteran QB Joe Flacco

Riding a three-game losing streak amidst subpar quarterback play from Jake Browning, the Cincinnati Bengals are making an interesting move at the position.

The Bengals are trading for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday afternoon. Cincinnati sent a fifth-round pick to Cleveland for Flacco and also received a sixth-round pick in the process.

Flacco started the first four games of the season for the Cleveland Browns before he was benched in favor of rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel. In those four games, he completed 58.1% of his passes for 815 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions.

The #Bengals are trading for Joe Flacco, per me and @TomPelissero

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 7, 2025

Cincinnati will mark Flacco’s third different stop around the AFC North. Flacco began his career with the Baltimore Ravens, where he played from 2008-2018 and won a Super Bowl in 2013. He spent 2023 with the Browns and returned to the franchise this season, where he started the first four games.

The Bengals quarterback position was thrown into disarray earlier this season when superstar Joe Burrow suffered turf toe and significant ligament damage in Cincinnati’s week two win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. This put Burrow out for the foreseeable future, forcing Browning back in as the Bengals QB1.

Jake Browning was 0-3 as Cincinnati’s starting QB this season

Browning was extremely serviceable in 2023 when he was promoted to Cincinnati’s QB1 following Burrow’s season-ending right wrist injury, but that has not been the case this season. Although he did lead the Bengals on a game-winning touchdown drive to down the Jaguars in week two, the last three weeks have been an utter disaster for the organization.

In Browning’s first start of the season, the Bengals were walloped by the Minnesota Vikings 48-10 in a game where he threw two interceptions. He was then held without a touchdown in Cincinnati’s 28-3 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football and threw three interceptions in a 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Now, it appears as if head coach Zac Taylor is looking elsewhere at the position until Burrow could possibly return this season. His earliest expected return date is Cincinnati’s Dec. 14 clash against the Baltimore Ravens, so it appears as if Flacco will have the reigns until then.