The Cincinnati Bengals have gotten off to a strong start in 2026, as they have picked up a pair of big wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans through their first two games. Star quarterback Joe Burrow is healthy, and the rest of the team has rallied around him, which has helped the Bengals emerge as a potential Super Bowl contender.
While Burrow is doing well in the injury department right now, other teams haven’t been so fortunate. The latest quarterback injury saw Jaxson Dart suffer a season-ending knee injury in the New York Giants‘ Week 2 loss, and now that he’s out, the team has begun looking at potential trade targets. One name that has popped up is Burrow’s backup, Joe Flacco, but it doesn’t seem like he has any interest in leaving Cincinnati right now.
Joe Flacco Addresses Recent Trade Speculation
The Bengals know just how important it is to have a competent backup quarterback, and for them, Flacco is that guy. Despite being 41 years old, Flacco has remained effective when he’s found his way under center in recent years, as he threw for 2,479 yards and 15 touchdowns in 13 games with the Bengals and Cleveland Browns last year.
Right now, Burrow is rolling, so teams have begun to wonder if Flacco could be on the move and help out a quarterback-needy team. The Giants certainly fit that bill, even though they have Jameis Winston in place to fill in for Dart. At the very least, New York needs another depth option at this position moving forward.
Given Flacco’s ties to the Giants’ new head coach, John Harbaugh, he quickly emerged as a potential trade target for the team. Flacco has heard the chatter surrounding his name, but he made it very clear that he isn’t going to be heading to New York anytime soon, despite what the rumors floating around him may say.
“I just get a kick out of it,” Flacco said of the trade rumors linking him to the Giants, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “It’s obviously not real and not true, but it was good enough to get people, certain friends of mine … to text me, ‘Hey, I’ll see you in New York.’ And I was like, ‘No, guys, you won’t. That’s not true.’ … I haven’t really given it too much thought at this point.”
Bengals Set to Hold Onto Joe Flacco Despite Trade Chatter
It’s no surprise to see that Flacco is drawing trade interest, but the Bengals have been down this road before. One injury to Burrow could change everything for this team, and if he goes down, Flacco gives them the best shot at continuing to win games. With that in mind, trading Flacco just because the Giants have a need at this position would be shortsighted.
Flacco may not play much this season, but that would be perfectly fine in Cincy’s eyes, because that means Burrow has managed to stay healthy. The Bengals will look to shift their focus away from this trade chatter and focus on putting the finishing touches on their preparations for their Week 3 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bengals QB Joe Flacco Shoots Down Giants Trade Rumors