T
he Cincinnati Bengals are gearing up for a resurgent 2026 season. Missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season, the Bengals experienced major struggles in 2025, including injuries taking their toll. Starting the regular season at 2-0, starting quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury early in the year and missed a majority of the campaign, forcing the Bengals to rely on backups. And after a major skid, the Bengals brought in reinforcements, acquiring longtime NFL veteran, Joe Flacco, in a trade to start for the team until Burrow returned.
Flacco went 1-5 as the starter and did not save the season, but the Bengals’ issues stemmed far beyond the quarterback position. Playing well in Burrow’s absence, Flacco showed that he is still very reliable when needed and because the Bengals need a good backup in case Burrow gets hurt again, the team re-signed him to a new deal for the 2026 season on Tuesday, March 24.
Flacco’s New Deal
Reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Flacco and the Bengals came to terms on a one-year deal for 2026, guaranteeing that Flacco returns for a 19th season in the NFL. Joining the Bengals midseason via a trade with the Cleveland Browns, Flacco now returns to the team by choice. In six starts for the Bengals last season, Flacco completed 61.7% of his passes for 13 touchdowns and four interceptions– ending the season with a total stat line of 2,479 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Entering his age-41 season, Flacco is definitely nearing the end of his career but returning to the Bengals gives them another true leader in the quarterback room to pair with Burrow and fellow 2008 draft classmate, Josh Johnson.
Flacco’s Career Thus Far
The 18th overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2008 draft, Flacco spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the franchise, starting for them from ’08 until midway through the ’18 season– winning Super Bowl XLVII and the Super Bowl MVP. After the Ravens opted to roll with Lamar Jackson as their starting quarterback of the future, Flacco became a journeyman, spending a season with the Denver Broncos (’19), New York Jets (’20), Philadelphia Eagles (’21), Jets again (’21-’22), Browns (’23), Indianapolis Colts (’24) and the Browns once more before joining the Bengals.
But at each of his stops since leaving the Ravens, Flacco continued to show flashes of why he was a starting quarterback for so long, providing both reliability and consistency at backup quarterback for each of those teams. If 2026 is Flacco’s last season, the career he put together will go down in history.
Bengals Re-Signing Veteran Quarterback to Serve as Backup